Thread: NY Mayor says he supports campaign for illegal Irish

http://www.unison.ie/breakingnews/index ... 9&si=97136

NY Mayor says he supports campaign for illegal Irish


11:59 Tuesday August 22nd 2006


The Mayor of New York has pledged his support for the campaign to get citizenship rights for illegal Irish immigrants in the United States.

Michael Bloomberg was speaking during a visit to Ballymote in Co Sligo, where is unveiling a monument that incorporates some of the original steel from the Twin Towers.

The monument is dedicated to the Fighting 69th Regiment, which was led during the American Civil War by Sligoman Michael Corcoran.

Mr Bloomberg was awarded a civic reception when he arrived in the area today and, speaking to well-wishers, he said he supported a common-sense approach to immigration laws.

"I know there are many Irish-born New Yorkers who are caught in the trap of our federal immigration policies," he said.

"If we are going to continue to attract the best and the brightest to the United States, and Ireland has more than it's fair share, we need to inject some common sense into our immigration laws and I'm doing my best to make that case in Washington DC."

Mr Bloomberg. You'd do well to never open your mouth again...

How big are your feet?

http://www.nysun.com/article/38345

August 22, 2006 Edition > Section: New York

Mayor Heads For Ireland, Like Kennedy
BY RUSSELL BERMAN - Staff Reporter of the Sun
August 22, 2006

Mayor Bloomberg will arrive in Ireland today on a trip that is short on time — he'll be there for less than half a day — but heavy on symbolism.

The official purpose of the trip is to dedicate a monument in Ballymote to New York's "Fighting 69th," a traditionally Irish brigade of the National Guard that fought for America in several wars and is said to have been among the first responders to reach the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The monument in Ballymote contains a steel beam recovered from the twin towers.

But the subtext is an opportunity for Mr. Bloomberg to underscore his proimmigrant policy positions, appear on the international stage, and cement his relationship with Irish-Americans as he considers the possibility of a presidential run. Mr. Bloomberg has traveled to Israel as mayor and went to Italy for the funeral of Pope John Paul II, so in visiting Ireland he is making it to the third and final of the traditional three "I"s of New York politics.

Mr. Bloomberg yesterday noted that he was following in the footsteps of John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan in visiting Ireland. "One was a Democrat, one was a Republican. To the best of my knowledge, we've never had an independent candidate," he said.

The trip comes less than a month after the mayor abruptly canceled a scheduled trip to Ireland so that he could stay in New York and oversee the city's response to a heat emergency and potential energy crisis.

Mr. Bloomberg said he was "embarrassed and sad" that he had to postpone the earlier trip but that in retrospect, it was the right decision.

An Irish member of parliament and the chief organizer of the ceremony, John Perry predicted Mr. Bloomberg would receive "a thousand welcomes" from the Irish people. "The mayor is such a true friend of the Irish community," he said.

Irish leaders in New York lauded the trip and said they expected Mr. Bloomberg to be treated well. "He's very popular with the Irish, particularly because of his support of immigration reform," the publisher of the Irish Voice, Niall O'Dowd, said. Mr. O'Dowd is also the chairman of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, a pro-immigration group.

The Irish government estimates that about 25,000 illegal immigrants from Ireland live in New York, and it has supported the mayor's statements in support of allowing them a path to legal residency in America.

"The Irish, by themselves, are one of the most hospitable nations on Earth," the owner of the River Café in Brooklyn and the Water Club in Manhattan, Michael "Buzzy" O'Keeffe, said." At the same time, they are very political."

Taking his own plane, the mayor is traveling in a delegation that includes a former member of the Fighting 69th, key advisers, and family members of victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. A senior adviser, Shea Fink, helped plan the trip, and Mr. Bloomberg's former communications director, William Cunningham, also participated in the planning and is attending. Also attending is Jack Lynch, the father of a Bronx firefighter who died on September 11. Mr. Lynch helped obtain the steel beam from the Twin Towers that is being incorporated in the Ballymote monument. A deputy mayor who has been spearheading Mr. Bloomberg's presidential explorations, Kevin Sheekey, is also making the trip.

The mayor was scheduled to arrive in Sligo early this morning and planned to leave immediately following the events, returning to New York this afternoon. A spokesman, Stuart Loeser, said Mr. Bloomberg planned to listen to Spanish on his iPod and catch up on sleep on the plane.

The rescheduled trip does not include a stop in Dublin, where Mr. Bloomberg had initially planned to meet with Irish cabinet members. The consul general of Ireland in New York, Timothy O'Connor, expressed disappointment at the lack of formal talks, but said the mayor met with Irish officials on an ongoing basis.The Irish minister of justice, equality, and law reform is scheduled to come to New York next month and plans to meet with the mayor, Mr. O'Connor said.

One prominent New Yorker not traveling to Ireland today is the first Irish-American speaker of the City Council, Christine Quinn. Mr. O'Connor expressed pride in Ms. Quinn's election earlier this year and said he looked forward to her own visit to Ireland. As for the mayor, "we're still looking for Mike Bloomberg's roots in Ireland," Mr. O'Connor joked. "We're convinced there's a McBloomberg out there somewhere."

A protest is planned by two groups opposed to Mr. Bloomberg's support of Israel and of Senator Lieberman, who was defeated in the Democratic primary in Connecticut by a challenger who criticized his support for the war in Iraq.

Every illegal person in this country should go to live in New York state. Let's see if mayor Bloomberg is goint to spend his millions supporting them.

Mr Bloomberg. You'd do well to never open your mouth again...

How big are your feet?

Thanks.....I needed a good laugh.

He needs to get a Twix candy bar shoved in his mouth after every thought.

Let's see if mayor Bloomberg is goint to spend his millions supporting them.

This is SO disgusting! Bloomberg is just another example of wealthy (he is a billionaire) elitist that bought his office and refuses to uphold the laws of the land.

Bloomberg hasn't seen an illegal yet that he wouldn't support.

Remember when that one union (I believe they worked the subways) went on strike and this clown Bloomberg ranted about how they are breaking the law, blah, blah, blah. Funny obeying the law only matters when it's convienant for him.