Irish Prime Minister's Visit to White House Avoids Undocumented Irish

The Third Dispatch from the White House by Nicolae Butler.

The White East Room, as Press and Attendees awaited with great anticipation of President Donald Trump and Ireland’s Irish Taoiseach, or PM, Micheál Martin

WHITE HOUSE — President Donald Trump and Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin avoided addressing the issue of undocumented Irish immigrants in the United States when pressed by reporters during Martin’s visit to the Oval Office. The question, which had been highlighted in White House press report and mentioned by Martin in previous weeks, was notably absent from the leaders’ public remarks.

The omission was conspicuous, given that the issue of Irish immigrants without legal status was expected to be a point of discussion between the two leaders. While local and some mainstream media had acknowledged the topic, it failed to take center stage amid a day of celebrations and diplomacy.

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Unlike previous state visits by leaders from India, France, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine, Martin’s reception was markedly warm. He participated in a lively event with the Friends of Ireland organization at the Rayburn Room in the U.S. Capitol, where traditional Irish music, food, and dance set a festive tone. From there, he was swiftly escorted to the White House, where a packed reception in his honor reinforced the longstanding cultural and familial ties between Ireland and the United States.