The Government has hired former U.S. Congressman Bruce Morrison’s lobbying group to help with resolving the issue of undocumented Irish immigrants in America. Mr Morrison offered the services of his Morrison Public Affairs Group to prepare draft legislative language for a proposal to help Irish immigrants get work and travel rights in the US in return for reciprocal measures for Americans in Ireland.
There are around 10,500 US citizens in Ireland. Estimates of the number of undocumented Irish in the US range from 10,000 to 50,000.
A former Democratic congressman for Connecticut, Mr Morrison is famous for helping to bring in the so-called ‘Morrison Visas’ in the early 1990s that granted green cards to thousands of Irish citizens.
Details of his work helping with the undocumented issue are contained in documents filed with the US Department of Justice by Morrison Public Affairs Group under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). They include an email he wrote to an Irish Embassy official in November.
It says: “As we have discussed, Morrison Public Affairs Group will prepare draft legislative language for a provision to assist Irish undocumented in the US to gain work and travel authorization in ‘deferred action’ status in recognition of a package of reciprocal measures to benefit Americans now or in the future, resident in Ireland.” He said the fee would be $7,500 (€6,100) payable on acceptance of the proposal.
