The presence of Irish citizens across the world is one of the country’s greatest resources, the Taoiseach has said.
Leo Varadkar made the remarks in Boston during a week-long series of engagements which will culminate in the gifting of shamrock to US president Joe Biden at the White House.
Mr Varadkar has indicated that he hopes to raise the issue of undocumented Irish people in the US during his discussions with Mr Biden.
Speaking at an Ireland Funds Boston Young Leaders event in Boston, Mr Varadkar said: “I believe our global diaspora – our community around the world – is one of the greatest resources that we have as a nation.
“It’s diverse, it’s vibrant, and it has been maintained a strong sense of Irish identity.”
Mr Varadkar is due to meet Mr Biden in Washington later this week as part of a series of traditional engagements marking St Patrick’s Day.
While he acknowledged that the subject of undocumented Irish citizens was not explicitly on the agenda, he said he hoped to raise the issue during his engagement with the president.
He told reporters in Boston: “There are a lot of Irish people here who are good people but are undocumented. Many working very hard, have children here, are contributing a lot to society here.
“What I say to them [US officials] is that we as [the Irish] Government put in place schemes to regularise people who became undocumented for various reasons.
“So, for example, people who came to Ireland on a student visa, we had a system for them, to regularise their affairs.”
He continued: “And when I say – in a totally balanced way – the thing is that we’re not asking you to do anything we wouldn’t do.
“We put in place schemes in Ireland to recognise people who are undocumented.
“It’s not an amnesty, you know, it’s essentially somebody coming forward – fronting up saying they’re undocumented, potentially having to pay back taxes, all of those things.
“And I think that approach to those lines would work very well in the United States.”
Mr Varadkar trip started in Boston on Monday and included a tour around Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox baseball team.
On Wednesday, the Taoiseach was scheduled to attend further meetings relating to US-Irish business opportunities before travelling to Washington DC.
There, Mr Varadkar’s first engagement will be speaking at the Ireland Funds National Gala Dinner.
Officials said this will be an “opportunity to reflect” on the relationship between Ireland and the US, including America’s contribution to the Northern Ireland peace process.
Later in the week, Mr Varadkar will meet bilaterally with president Joe Biden, vice-president Kamala Harris and the speaker of the US House of Representatives.
The Israel-Palestine conflict is likely to be a recurring theme throughout the remainder of the trip, as Irish officials have already indicated that the Taoiseach will raise the crisis in the Middle East during the remaining high-level engagements in Washington DC.
Discussions are expected to cover a broad agenda of issues including the “deep ties” between the US and Ireland as the countries mark 100 years of diplomatic relations and shared global challenges, including the war in Ukraine.
Mr Varadkar will also thank Mr Biden for the US’s ongoing commitment to stability in Northern Ireland under the Good Friday Agreement.
The trip will end with the White House St Patrick’s Day reception, including the traditional shamrock ceremony, on March 17th.
The Taoiseach will present the US president with the traditional shamrock bowl, as an extension of St Patrick’s Day greetings from the people of Ireland to the people of the United States.
