Conference tallis::celt

194.0. "Immigration/Amnesty in Boston" by ENGGSG::BURNS (The Burren and the Cliffs of Moher) Wed May 06 1987 19:11

Associated Press Tue  5-MAY-1987 23:37                      Amnesty Rdp-Irish



   In Boston, Amnesty Program Puts Focus On Illegal Irish Immigrants
                          By MITCHELL ZUCKOFF
                        Associated Press Writer

   BOSTON (AP) - The sweeping new citizenship amnesty program is
expected to draw millions of illegal aliens out into the open, but
there is sharp disagreement about how many of Boston's Irish
illegals will reveal their secret.
   ``I think we're going to be surprised how many come out from
under ground,'' said Paul E. McKinnon, chief legalization officer
for the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service here. He
predicted up to 2,000 Irish would come forward.
   However, a member of Irish Northern Aid, a group that raises
money for political prisoners in Ireland, said he thought few Irish
illegal immigrants in Boston would be eligible for the program.
   ``This would exclude most of them. I think it's going to help
most of the people from South America, but it's no advantage to
us,'' he said.

   Neither the INS nor the Irish consul knows exactly how many
illegal Irish immigrants are in Boston. Mayor Raymond L. Flynn has
estimated the number at 15,000, and Bill McGowan, who works with
Irish immigrants through the Massachusetts Immigration Committee,
said it might be as many as 30,000.
   McGowan said he believes no more than 2,000 are eligible for
amnesty. Others said not all those will come forward out of fear
they will be turned down after exposing their illegal status,
despite promises from INS officials that there will be no reprisals.
   ``I was a little bit leery of it until I was assured that it was
OK,'' said a 30-year-old Irish immigrant who has lived illegally in
the United States since June 1980.
   ``I'm taking the plunge tomorrow,'' said the man, who asked to
be identified only as John, a self-employed construction worker.
``It changes my entire outlook on my life in general. I finally got
a chance to participate in the American dream.''
   The INA member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said
most of Boston's illegal Irish immigrants came to the United States
after Jan. 1, 1982, the deadline for eligibility in the amnesty
program. He came here in 1970 and is a U.S. citizen.

   An Irish nanny is among those not eligible for the amnesty.
   ``I know of dozens of men and women here illegally, trying to
escape the troubles and make something of themselves,'' said the
woman, who spoke on the condition her name not be used. ``Most come
on tourist visas and just never go home. If they keep out of
trouble, no one seems to mind.''
   ``Most of my friends work in construction or as waiters and
waitresses, and a lot of the girls are nannies,'' she said.
   Now 23, she came here just before Christmas 1984 to live with
her boyfriend and escape the strife and economic uncertainty of
Londonderry, where unemployment runs above 20 percent and young
people routinely are stopped on the street and frisked by
suspicious British soldiers.
   A full-time nanny back home, she said she quickly was referred
to a similar job through a highly organized but informal ring
commonly referred to in Boston as ``the Irish connection.''
   It works simply: someone seeking a nanny finds one Irish girl
and asks if she has a friend. One person looking for a nanny took
that route and the next day received calls from nearly a dozen
prospective nannies, all Irish.
   She was hired two months before her employer's baby was born for
$200 a week. Cash.
   She and her boyfriend now own property in South Boston.
   ``We're able to send money over there, pay our bills and save
money, something we never could have done in Ireland,'' she said.