The fear element that was released by Trump’s re-inauguration for second tenure caused a spike in Irish immigration. Trump’s stance on immigration during his first tenure was considered extreme and a threat to the freedom and security of millions of immigrants.
During his campaign for second tenure in 2024, he promised to double down and be far more aggressive about implementing the most spectacular migration crackdown. Irish-Americans who were in the US legally and illegally found the policies of President Trump hanging over them.
The immigration raids went up after President Trump returned to office, causing an increase in anxiety in the immigrant community including undocumented Irish people.
Notably, the United States and Ireland share relations beyond common ancestral ties and shared values. The relations extend to regular dialogue on political and economic issues, and official exchange in areas such as medical research and education.
President Trump recently declared March, ‘Irish-American Heritage Month’, because the Irish voted for him heavily in November 2024. If the Irish and Americans share such deep historical ties, how then do recent immigration policies specifically impact Irish immigrants?
This article will explore the reason behind the increase in Irish immigration amid the first 100 days of Trump’s presidency. It will analyze the fear and uncertainty felt by documented and undocumented Irish citizens in the US, and how businesses and citizens have reacted.
The Landscape of Irish Immigration to the US Before Trump’s Presidency
To understand the long-standing trend of Irish immigration to the United States, you need to know its landscape particularly before the early 20th century. Most Irish immigrants before the Great Famine were Protestants, and the Great Famine led to a massive influx of Irish Catholics.
Irish Immigration to the US slowed during the Great Depression and after the Immigration Act of 1924. Currently, over 31 million people claim Irish descent in the US, and although the exact number of undocumented Irish citizens is difficult to establish, it has been estimated to be about 10,000 people.
Common Legal Pathways for Irish Immigration to the US
Over the years, Irish citizens have legally relocated to the US through the various visa pathways.
The first pathway is through the immigrant visas for Irish citizens who wish to reside permanently in the US. They migrate through family-based visas, employment-based visas and diversity lottery visas.
The second pathway is through the non-immigrant visas for Irish citizens who want to enter the US for specific reasons over a temporary period.
The table below explains it further.
| Visa Types | Purpose | ||
| 1 | B visas | B-1 for business | B-2 for tourism |
| 2 | F visas | For students | |
| 3 | H visas | For temporary workers | H-1B for skilled workers
H-2A/H-2B for seasonal workers. |
| 4 | J visas | For exchange visitors | |
| 5 | K visas | For fiancees/spouses of U.S citizens. | |
| 6 | L visas | For intra-company transferees | |
| 7 | O visas | For individuals with extraordinary abilities in science, film, athletics, or arts | |
| 8 | P visas | For athletes and entertainers | |
| 9 | R visas | For religious workers | |
| 10 | U visas | For victims of crime | |
| 11 | V visas | For family members of U.S. citizens who are in the process of obtaining permanent residence. |
Only 1% of over 10,000 Irish immigrants have legally moved permanently to the United States. The Ireland’s Prime Minister’s meeting with President Trump in March shows the Irish’s Government lobbying efforts to secure pathways to legal status for undocumented Irish in the US.
Trump’s First 100 Days: Key Immigration Policies and Their Immediate Implications
In an interview with CBS News, Aisling, an undocumented Irish waitress claims that since ICE started raiding her neighbourhood, she fears that she may become a ‘collateral damage’.
This highlights the effect of Trump’s immigration policies on Irish citizens, but could that have been the cause of the increase in Irish immigration?
We will now consider key immigration policies and their immediate implications:
- Deportation of Migrants
Over 1,000 people were removed on the fourth day of the Trump administration, and in the same week of entering office, over 5,000 people were detained by Border Patrol in San Diego and El Paso, Texas to be deported.
2. Ending the Migrants and Asylum Seekers Process
Within 100 days of being in office, President Trump suspended the entry of all undocumented migrants to the US and ordered border patrol agents to turn asylum seekers away without a hearing.
3. Scrapping the CBP One Smartphone App
Immediately Trump took office, the CBP One smartphone app, which migrants used to schedule appointments with US border patrol agents, was taken down and over 30,000 people with schedule appointments were said to be stranded inside Mexico.
4. Unannounced Raids and Increasing the Powers of ICE
The statistics released by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) showed that approximately 6,648 undocumented immigrants were arrested within a week that Trump was sworn into office.
Most Irish immigrants believed that they could easily blend in when there was a raid because only criminals were targeted. However, the intensity of the raid made them scared and stopped going to work, church or even school.
Immigration experts believe that the aim was to force people to self-deport before they are caught. Could this be the reason why Irish immigration skyrocketed during that period?
Impact of Trump’s Presidency on Irish Immigration
How Irish Citizens and the Diaspora Reacted
Although, the Irish community in America lived in fear and anxiety of their undocumented status, some of them who were interviewed by CBS news believed that communities of color, hispanics and latinos are bearing the brunt of the immigration crackdown.
There were, however, reservations on becoming a ‘collateral damage’ target for the intense ICE raids. In an interview with BBC, Chicago-based immigration lawyer, Fionaa McEntee expresses that some Irish-Americans have empathy for what other people are going through and they stand in solidarity with them.
Even those with Green card are reluctant to travel due to concerns about anti-immigrant sentiment. The increased tension amongst Irish-Americans after Trump’s inauguration made those with Irish descent to consider returning back to Ireland, while others are considering relocating to Ireland to start afresh.
How Businesses Are Responding to Increased Irish Immigration
Employers express worry over workplace raids because they believe that it will lead to an exodus of workers in jobs that many Americans don’t want to do, but the White House is resisting.
Most tech and pharma companies that depend on their partnership with Ireland fear that the political tension in America will discourage investment decisions of Irish-based employers in the US.
