Immigration was never an easy prospect for the would-be immigrant. And today it is an all but impossible one for all too many dreaming of a new life in America.
But there was a time not so long ago when congressional action was able to deliver a safe and legal arrival in America, and much of the credit for that goes to a former member of Congress, Bruce Morrison.
And now the man behind the Morrison Visa program is to be lauded for his work of more than three decades ago, and in an appropriate setting high above the streets of New York City.
Organized by a recently former entity, the Morrison Legacy Foundation (www.morrisonlegacy.com) the 30th anniversary of the Morrison Visa Program, which was active from 1992 to 1995, will be celebrated on October 1 with a gala gathering in the Rainbow Room in Manhattan.
Said a release from the foundation: “Congressman Morrison spearheaded the landmark Immigration Act of 1990. This bipartisan initiative, developed in close partnership with the Irish community, led to the creation of the Morrison Visa program, which profoundly shaped the future of the Irish-American community. From 1992 to 1995, the Morrison Visa Program provided more than 45,000 visas for Irish people from across all 32 counties on the island of Ireland.”
