Tag: Citizens

Increasing Irish Immigration Amid the First 100 Days of Trump’s Presidency: How Have Businesses and Citizens Reacted?

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:

 

  1. 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.

Ookla partners with Dublin City Council to tackle telecoms deficits in the city

Today, Ookla, a global leader in connectivity intelligence, announces its partnership with Dublin City Council and the City Telecoms Association to identify and tackle telecoms deficits in Dublin. This first-of-its-kind initiative, fueled by Ookla’s Speedtest Insights®, offers a practical blueprint for l cities across Europe to drive digital inclusion and optimise network outcomes through actionable, data-driven insights.
The partnership demonstrates how a data-driven approach can enhance connectivity outcomes in a tangible way, empowering cities to better serve citizens. For the first time, the city is addressing connectivity gaps through targeted policy interventions, and fostering collaborative efforts with operators to attract investments that were previously hindered by site acquisition challenges.
You can find the full partnership case study here with more information about the five high-impact use cases created by Dublin City Council using Ookla’s network intelligence data.
Key points from the study:
  • Telecoms strategy and digital inclusion:  A proactive data-driven telecom strategy aimed at bridging digital divides, with significant analysis of how socio-economic factors affect connectivity outcomes, especially in areas with high social deprivation.
  • Identification of connectivity gaps: Ookla’s real-world data has enabled DCC to pinpoint key areas in Dublin with significant connectivity issues, influencing policy and planning to prioritise interventions where they are most needed.
  • Innovative use of city assets: Dublin’s approach to leveraging city-owned assets for telecom infrastructure, including facilitating multi-operator site access, represents a strategic move to optimise asset use and reduce urban clutter, aligned with EU regulatory goals​.
  • Transparency and public engagement: The Council has launched a public educational initiative on telecom infrastructure, including visualisations of before-and-after network improvements from new site deployments, to engage citizens and increase acceptance of new infrastructure.
  • Comparative benchmarking in Europe: Through Ookla’s data, Dublin has gained insights into its telecom performance relative to other European cities, highlighting areas of competitive strength in 5G availability and identifying room for improvement in 4G speeds​.
Key data and methodology:
  • The collaboration saw Ookla collect Speedtest® network data across the city over two 12-month periods (June 2022-June 2023 and June 2023-June 2024) with a sample size in the tens of millions; creating the most comprehensive analysis of mobile network performance ever conducted at the city level in Ireland.
  • Leveraging Ookla’s Speedtest® Insights platform, DCC were able to integrate other data sources, such as internal city asset registries, mobile site location maps from Ireland’s telecoms regulator ComReg, and social deprivation data from Pobal.
  • Geospatial analysis created a localised tile-based grid across the entire city to categorise mobile network performance at different times of the day. Performance was evaluated against two metrics; signal strength and download speed. Each location tile was categorised as unacceptable if it had less than 11 dBm signal strength and 5 Mbps download speed. Anything above 11 dBM and 5 Mbps was categorised as ‘acceptable’.

New app launched to inform Irish citizens about European Parliament Elections

A new app aiming to help European citizens engage with the upcoming European Parliament elections has gone live on May 9th to coincide with Europe Day. 

The EU&I app aims to help EU citizens navigate the upcoming European Parliament elections, taking place in June. The app provides a comprehensive platform to help voters explore and understand the positions of both Irish political parties and independent candidates competing in the European elections.

When they visit the EU&I web app, users are prompted to indicate their political preferences through a questionnaire, which generates personalised insights about which political parties and candidates align best with the voter’s values and beliefs.

Available in 20 languages with 36 policy statements, the EU&I Voter app offers users an extensive guide on a range of topics central to European politics, including economic policies, environmental initiatives, and social justice issues. It also allows users to explore party/candidate views on Ireland’s position in Europe and beyond. 

The creators of the app are hoping that this new development will encourage Irish citizens to vote in the upcoming elections taking place on the 7th of June. 

Commenting on the launch of the app, Team Ireland lead, and Associate Professor at UCD, Dr James Cross said: “We are delighted to officially launch our new app EU&I ahead of the European elections. This app provides an excellent educational platform to empower Irish voters, which will, in turn, allow them to make informed decisions about the future of Europe. A group of our master’s students from different disciplines here at UCD have been working tirelessly to compile information about the election and its candidates. They have made this information accessible to our app users, contributing to a Europe-wide effort to inform voters. By harnessing the power of technology, we aim to empower voters to make informed decisions when entering the ballot box this June.”

UCD Master’s Student Aaron Kelly added: “By making this political information readily available for app users, we aim to inform the general public on one simple, accessible platform. This helpful tool eliminates political jargon while providing a wealth of information for citizens as well as for politicians themselves. It is a free resource that provides a personalised and exhaustive political guide for users, and we hope that it will encourage more people to get out and use their vote in June.

The official launch of EU&I Voter took place on the 14th of May at the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin. A panel discussion featuring Dr. Laura Sudulich from the University of Exeter, Dr. Kevin Cunningham Director of Ireland Thinks and Patrick O’Riordan from Dublin Office of the European Parliament on pressing issues faced by the EU was held, as well as a live demonstration of the app.