By NiallO’Dowd

In the wake of Thanksgiving it is time to talk turkey about immigration reform. There has been a sense in the Irish community throughout the U.S. that given the favorable election results that reform is on its way.

That could well be so, but it will definitely not happen without the wholehearted involvement of the Irish community from coast to coast.

I am not saying that just to flatter. Those who sit back and just hope it happens are on a fool’s errand. It will need the complete support of everyone in the community to make it happen.

That is because the Irish occupy a central but unique role in the immigration debate. We are considered a major player, even though our numbers nowhere near match those of undocumented from other countries.

If there is any sign that the Irish community is less interested or less involved in the process then that will be enormously damaging.

Leaving it to the other guy, or waiting for the green card for yourself or your Irish cousin to show up at your doorstep via the mailman is a recipe for disaster.

The fact that we draw on a huge support base of Irish Americans is the key one that gives us our clout. Politicians count noses like you and I count our money, and they see the Irish energized on this issue. Political reality is what it is.

But if we cannot transform that goodwill we enjoy into tangible results then all will have been in vain. We are in danger of just assuming that someone else will do the work and we will reap the benefit. Think again.

In the less than one year of its existence the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR) has come to represent the hopes of tens of thousands of Irish left undocumented in the U.S. at present.

ILIR convinced Senators Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer to join the immigration reform bandwagon. At our rallies in Washington, D.C., where thousands attended, men like Senators Edward Kennedy and John McCain came and spoke.

We all know what happened. Our hopes were crushed when the Republican Congress refused to take up the bill passed in the Senate. Many said, “I told you so.”

ILIR however, believes the glass is more than half full after the 2006 legislative session.

Then came the election results and the Republican House is no more. The opportunity is greater than it has ever been.

But not so fast. There are many leading Demo-crats who believe the immigration issue is too divisive to tackle, that it is a no win for the party. They would rather go missing in action than address such a complex matter.

That is where the Irish must weigh in. Geographically the election has been a boon for the Irish. Key figures such as Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi from San Francisco, Senator Kennedy from Boston and Senator Schumer from New York are located in Irish strongholds. The communities in those cities must show they are deeply committed to this issue to bring about action.

Some have said that even if reform doesn’t work there is always the bilateral visa program, first suggested by ILIR, that would allow Americans and Irish to exchange 10,000 work visas or so every year.

I have news on that, too. It is no sure thing, and even if such a program ever comes to pass the undocumented may not be covered by it.

There is no easy way to make this happen, except through the sweat of our brow. On this Friday night ILIR holds its first major meeting since the election at St. Barnabas Church in Woodlawn. A few weeks later they will be in Boston and further meetings elsewhere are being scheduled now.

If you really care about the future of the Irish community you will be there. All details are at www.legalizetheirish.org, or elsewhere in this newspaper. Please come along and show you care.