SF ally in US backs jail for Irish illegals
Sunday April 23 2006
Right-wing Republican Congressman Peter King has infuriated the Irish-American community by supporting a bill that could make it a crime to be an illegal alien.
King has been Gerry Adams's most prominent ally in the US for the past 20 years and last St Patrick's Day, when Adams was shunned by the White House, it was King who organised Adams's participation in the Congressional St Patrick's Day lunch.
But now it appears a major rift over immigration policy has opened up between the Congressman King, who is chairman of the Homeland Security Committee in the US Congress, and the Irish-American community.
King has even denounced Catholic bishops who oppose the legislation which would make up to 12 million illegal immigrants instant felons and also make it an offence punishable by five years' imprisonment for anyone who harbours or employs an illegal alien. The church has declared that the new law would make a felon out of a priest who counselled an illegal alien.
A group has been set up called the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform whose spokesman, ironically, is another long-time friend and ally of Adams, Niall O'Dowd. O'Dowd and King are now at odds over the proposed legislation which would force undocumented Irish to return home or face imprisonment.
The Irish Lobby, which is supported by the Irish Government, organised a protest at Washington to coincide with the St Patrick's Day celebrations.
It has strong support within the Irish-American resident community, particularly in the Tri-State area. And, it has attracted the support of powerful US politicians including Senators Ted Kennedy, Hillary Clinton and John McCain all of whom support amending legislation which would allow illegal immigrants "guest worker" status and eventually citizenship so long as they pay back-taxes on income they have earned since being illegally in the United States.
Peter King is opposed to this proposal.
