Rep. Patrick Murphy is at the receiving end of Irish ire after he signed up to a statement along with other Congress members that pledges their opposition to any amnesty provision in any comprehensive immigration reform bill.
Murphy, a Democrat who represents the state's eighth congressional district, a seat he took in a tight race against the Republican incumbent in 2008, was one of nine in his party to sign the resolution.
The resolution, HR 1026 aka the Chaffetz/Kratovil No Amnesty Bill, reads in part: "any immigration reform proposal adopted by Congress should not legalize, grant amnesty for, or confer any other legal status condoning the otherwise unlawful entry or presence in the United States of any individual."
"I'm terribly disappointed that Rep. Murphy is taking such a regressive stance on immigration reform. Immigration reform that does not provide a solution for the undocumented is impractical and inhumane.
"We want a fair and workable solution to the immigration problems facing the country. This is especially important if you live in Bucks County and are one of his constituents," Siobhan Lyons, who runs the Philadelphia Irish Immigration Center, said in a statement.
Lyons is urging reform backers to call Murphy's various offices.
Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform vice chairman, Ciaran Staunton, was less reserved in his reaction.
"Congressman Patrick Murphy of Pennsylvania is a disgrace to his Irish roots. He was one of just nine Democrats who voted to never
allow amnesty for undocumented persons in America.
"Congressman Murphy should be ashamed of himself. He has joined the ranks of the anti-immigrant lynch mob which seeks to ensure that
immigrants are treated with hate and suspicion," said Staunton.
And he continued: "Back when Congressman Patrick Murphy's forefathers were trying to come to America there was an ignoramus group called the Know Nothings that, like Patrick Murphy now, wanted to seize the Irish and deport them in chains back to the old country.
"The Irish overcame all that discrimination and Patrick Murphy is a congressman today because of what his forefathers were able to
achieve. Congressman Murphy should know his history; he is a former Marine who served in Iraq, and he should know that turning on the
weakest and most vulnerable is not the Irish or the American way."
Rep. Murphy is a member of the so-called Blue Dog Democrats. He is also a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians.
