Ireland’s prime minister, Enda Kenny, has urged Donald Trump to help Irish people living in the US illegally, saying they just want to “make America great”.
Kenny spoke at a luncheon at the US Capitol on Thursday as part of a series of events celebrating St Patrick’s Day, including a one-on-one meeting with Trump at the White House, where the two discussed immigration, trade and the Irish economy.
About 50,000 Irish citizens are believed to be living illegally in the US, and Kenny and other Irish leaders have previously called for a way to allow them to stay in the country legally.
Kenny said: “We would like this to be sorted. It would remove a burden of so many people that they can stand out in the light and say, now I am free to contribute to America as I know I can. And that’s what people want.”
Kenny also urged Trump to consider providing more work visas “for young people who want to come to America and to work here”.
Trump ran on a promise to curtail illegal immigration. His revised travel ban, affecting travelers from six Muslim-majority nations, was set to go effect on Thursday before it was put on hold on Wednesday by a federal judge in Hawaii.
Kenny said he briefed the US president about Ireland’s concerns about the impact of Brexit on the island of Ireland. He told Trump that there was a “clear agreement with the British government that there will be no return to a hard border and no return to direct rule from London”.
Trump supported the British vote to leave the 28-country bloc – known as Brexit – saying earlier this year that it would “end up being a great thing”.
Neither man made any reference to Kenny’s warning during the US presidential election campaign that Trump’s language was “racist” and “dangerous”.
Last May, Kenny told the Dáil in Dublin that he was concerned over what he described as the then Republican primary candidate’s use of “racist and dangerous language”.
Trump welcomed Kenny to the White House, proclaiming his love for Ireland. At the luncheon, he called Kenny a “new friend” and quoted an Irish proverb to remember friends that “have stuck by you”. Trump added: “politically speaking, a lot of us know that”.
After the meeting and luncheon, Kenny returned to the White House for a St Patrick’s Day reception.
Kenny was the first EU politician to meet with Trump after the British prime minister, Theresa May. The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, was scheduled to come to the White House on Tuesday, but that visit was moved back to Friday because of the snow.
