February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Clearly, this sort of event merely underlines the need for action in Congress to sort out an immigration situation that, while it affects millions of people, also boils down to individuals having to make the kind of decisions that they would ordinarily want to avoid in the course of life.
The Irish, quite simply, should not have to smuggle themselves into America. If comprehensive immigration reform proves to be ultimately elusive in this session of Congress, we would hope that the U.S. and Irish governments seek some way of making it easier for citizens of both countries to legally cross the Atlantic in search of work, be it for the short, or the longer term.
With regard to the Buffalo indictments, we do not condone the breaking of U.S. law. However, that there was no profit motive in the alleged efforts to encourage the illegal entry of Irish nationals, in this case across the Canadian border, is more than a small comfort.
These were Irish reaching out to other Irish who were clearly desperate to either enter the U.S., or return to former, interrupted lives in America.
Those who have the comfort of green cards or naturalized citizenship will appreciate such desire, even as they don’t envy the consequences.