[caption id="attachment_71711" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Ed Koch."]
Reports in recent days paint a disturbing picture of the behavior of some Irish backpackers on those year long Australian visas. Some of them have been living it up a little too much in Perth and other parts of Western Australia, much to the chagrin of the settled Irish immigrant community in that part of the world.
In this part of the world we have long been of the view that the undocumented Irish are "settled," even though they are not legally present. Many of the undocumented pay taxes, runs businesses and are rearing families. In New York, this kind of "settled" living was enough to get by, even if it became necessary to have dealings with the NYPD.
Scratch that. Under new federal regulations, the undocumented could end up in the deportation line if fingerprinted for even minor infractions. A new federal program called "Secure Communities" which comes into force this week would appear to effectively kill off a policy going back to the Mayor Ed Koch administration. It allowed the undocumented to report crimes and generally deal with the NYPD without fear unless they themselves committed crimes.
New York City officials are concerned that the new rules will make New York a much colder house for immigrants who lack papers, but who nevertheless are contributing positively to the life and the economy of the city. There are a fair few Irish in this category, many of them being resident of the city for many years.
The undocumented Irish have been praying for change from Washington, seemingly for ever. This, to say the least, is not the kind of change they will welcome.
TERRY'S WISH
Director Terry George sees great potential in the presidency of Michael D. Higgins. Higgins attended a special screening of "The Shore," the short film that won George and his daughter Oorlagh Oscars at this year's ceremony.
The event, at the Lincoln Center in Manhattan, was hosted by Irish Film New York (IFNY) in association with the Consulate General of Ireland and the Film Society of Lincoln Center.
Following the screening, Higgins took part in a panel discussion on Irish storytelling and film with filmmakers Macdara Vallely, Marion Quinn and IFNY director Niall McKay. Higgins said that Irish film had to seek a balance between creating art and achieving commercial success.
Commented Terry George, who has walked that wire throughout his career: "It's a great reflection on our country that a poet, writer and humanitarian is now president and I hope that his presidency will mark a turning point away from the materialism of the past."
TSLP FOR FOX
IF's offering to the world of words, "The South Lawn Plot," will be featured on "Good Day NY" on FOX Channel 5 on Thursday morning, May 24. the show, as many readers know, is presented by Rosanna Scotto and Greg Kelly.
