By Georgina Brennan

An undocumented Irish woman desperate for work has blasted computers all over the Irish American community with e-mail pleas for help. 

In an e-mail that reached every Irish name with an AOL address or contact details on Irish community websites, the young woman pleads for help in what seemed like a last ditch attempt to avoid going back to Ireland.

“My name is Gillian O’Sullivan, and I hail from Little Island, Cork, Ireland,” she wrote. “I have been in the United States for nearly three years now; and thus far, have not been able to achieve the legal status I so desperately desire. 

“My talents are numerous, particularly in the deep-sea shipping industry; yet, without the status I need, I cannot use them fully to my advantage. Seeking to better my situation, and seemingly running out of options, it occurred to me that perhaps the best way to try to get out of this rut would be to contact as many of my ‘own’ as possible in the hope that one might be able to offer me temporary (or permanent) employment and shelter,” she wrote.

Asked why she had taken such desperate steps, O’Sullivan told the Irish Voice, “Going back to Ireland is not an option.”

She explained that she and her American boyfriend Scott were introduced over the Internet. Scott moved to Ireland to be with Sullivan but later, in 2001, the two moved to America. Since then, the two have worked their way across the U.S.

“I came to America on the visa waiver program, which entitled me to 90 days free travel, at the end of which I had to either return to Ireland or remain here as an illegal alien. I could not possibly return to the hardship I had left behind in Ireland, so I opted to take the risk and stay, “ she revealed.

“Many people along the way have asked why Scott and I don’t just get married, and the answer is that neither one of us has ever wanted to marry anyone. I know that if I just keep looking and doing what I can to earn money and keep a roof over our heads, that I will find a way to obtain my green card.”

Sullivan admits she knows she broken U.S. immigration law. “I know that I have gone against the laws, and it was a choice that I made for myself. But I have always wanted to make a life for myself here in the States, and I know that if I can find the right situation, I will be able to do just that,” says Sullivan

Sullivan and her boyfriend are almost homeless at the moment. Scott works part-time and gets unemployment payments from the state of California.

“Scott and I rent the back room of a store, which serves as our living space when it is not needed by the owner. We have some pillows and blankets that serve as our bed, and we have a bathroom but no shower,” she writes.

“What we are looking for is work and a place to stay, whereby we can build up a good enough sum of money to be able to really get on our feet and pay whatever fees are necessary to get my green card. I will need legal representation to do this due to my illegal status.”

Sullivan, fearing for her future, admitted the Irish community was her only hope. She says she really believes something will come out of it. 

“I don’t have anyone else to turn to right now,” she says tearfully.