The Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR), which is backed by Democratic senator Ted Kennedy and Republican John McCain, is to host a meeting in Dublin on Saturday 14 April. Its aim is to get families of illegals involved in the fight to get legal status for their loved ones.

"We think it is important that parents and friends understand the complexity of the issue so that they can do whatever is necessary to help their family members who are undocumented in the US, " ILIR founder Niall O'Dowd told New York newspaper the Irish Voice. Since it was founded in 2005, the ILIR has held rallies all around America, fighting to get a reform bill for illegal immigrants who have been living in the country for years, but who can be deported at any time.