Irish Times
By Arthur Beesley
July 3, 2015
The
speaker of the US House of Representatives John Boehner has told a
Dublin audience of his determination to overcome Republican resistance
to immigration reform. Mr
Boehner also told how Taoiseach Enda Kenny has harangued him on the
matter, telling him how the lack of reform has left some Irish
immigrants listening to a parent’s funeral by phone.
His
remarks indicate he may yet move to confront opponents of reform within
his own Republican party, which is in the vanguard of resistance to it
and has a majority in
the House.
The
speaker, second in line for the US presidency after Joe Biden, was
addressing the Independence Day lunch of the American Chamber of
Commerce Ireland. Although he has
consistently refused to put immigration reform to a House vote, he said
certain colleagues thought the matter would be resolved by sticking
their heads in the sand. “It doesn’t work that way.”
Of
Republican support for US-EU trade talks, Mr Boehner said his job was
to gather “218 frogs in a wheelbarrow and keep ’em long enough to pass
the bill”.
He
was not long in office when he first met Mr Kenny at his annual St
Patrick’s Day lunch in 2011. “The Taoiseach had been in office all of a
week,” he said. “We hit it
off spectacularly well. I’ve got to say I’m a big fan of his. He’s a
funny guy. He’s a serious guy, someone who I can work pretty closely
with.”
A
year later, they were better acquainted. Imitating Mr Kenny, Mr Boehner
said he was seated at lunch between the Taoiseach and President Obama.
“The Taoiseach says: ‘John,
John, John.’ He says: ‘How’s immigration reform coming?’ ”
Mr Boehner replied: “What the hell do you care about immigration reform?”
Mr
Kenny: “Oh John, John. You don’t realise there are about 50k of my
fellow Irishmen came to the US and never quite made it back across the
pond. You know their cousins
have got to hold up the cell phone at their parents’ funeral so their
kids in Chicago or Detroit or wherever can listen to the funeral. John,
John this is a serious problem.”
Last Thursday when they met, Mr Kenny’s message was concise. “The Taoiseach said: ‘I think you understand, just get it done’.”
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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