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Irish Diaspora & Emigration Context

聽聽聽聽The Irish diaspora has largely contributed to positive and familial U.S.-Irish relations. Since 1820, it is estimated that over Irish people have emigrated to the U.S. The peak of this emigration was a result of the in the mid 19th century. During this period of U.S. history, 鈥榠llegal immigration鈥� for European immigrants was not a concept. Prominent immigration scholar, , states that: 鈥淏efore World War I, there were no green cards, no visas, no quotas, no passports, even. Really, you just showed up. And if you could walk without a limp, and you had $30 in your pocket, you walked right in.鈥澛�

聽聽聽聽While Irish immigrants in the mid 19th century faced discrimination from U.S. nativists, a lack of modern immigration blockades allowed them to stay and build economic and political power in the U.S. This powerful Irish diaspora has historically been utilized by the Irish state to cultivate familial and positive foreign relations. For example, in 1919, the first president of the Irish Republic, , toured the U.S. to mobilize diaspora power to convince U.S. President Woodrow Wilson to diplomatically recognize the new Irish Republic. Similar attempts to utilize the prominent Irish diaspora occurred during the Northern Ireland Troubles. U.S. based organizations with nationalist inclinations increasingly raised money and awareness of the Troubles, and prominent Irish-American politicians asserted political influence on U.S. foreign policy in relation to the Troubles. Today, the annual celebration allows the Irish state up-close access to prominent U.S. politicians, including the President of the United States.聽

Today鈥檚 Undocumented Irish

The marked a distinct change in U.S. immigration policy. This act abolished the discriminatory national origins quota system and replaced it with a system that prioritized family unification and U.S. labor needs. Subsequently, immigration from Ireland and Europe fell as avenues for legal immigration decreased. Decades later, this development would lead to a substantial population of undocumented Irish immigrants in the U.S. However, even during this period, the estimated 50,000 undocumented Irish immigrants have generally avoided mass deportation and mistreatment due to the invisibility their whiteness grants them. In an interview with , Shauna, an undocumented Irish immigrant, states that: 鈥淚t is easier being illegal here when you鈥檙e white. It鈥檚 not easy, of course, you have that paranoia but there isn鈥檛 the racial element. It鈥檚 a bit easier to stay under the radar.鈥� However, with the second Trump administration鈥檚 more aggressive immigration policies and tactics, fear in the undocumented Irish community is rising.

聽聽聽聽According to data collected by the , there have been 80 arrests of undocumented Irish from January 2025 鈥� March 2026 of the second Trump administration. 46 of these arrests have resulted in deportations. According to the same dataset, during the previous Biden administration, there were 64 arrests from January 2022 鈥� January 2025, with 30 resulting in deportations. This data suggests that enforcement has not only increased, but it has tripled in pace. Under the Biden administration, an average of fewer than two Irish citizens were arrested per month. Comparatively, under the current Trump administration, that number has jumped to over five per month.

聽聽聽聽Additionally, cases of Irish detentions have risen to national prominence. For example, the case of gained widespread media attention. An Irish citizen living in the Boston area, Culleton was arrested by ICE on September 9, 2025 and has been placed in several detention centers far from Boston. The latest detention center is located in El Paso, Texas. Culleton described the while in ICE custody, emphasizing the few moments of outdoor exposure, insufficient food, and a lack of hygienic conditions. He even states that he is, 鈥渋n fear of [his] life鈥� and describes the facility as 鈥渁 modern day concentration camp.鈥� Conservative U.S. news outlet, Fox News, has utilized Culleton鈥檚 case to highlight the indiscriminate nature of Trump鈥檚 new immigration policies. 鈥淣ow, I love tucking myself into an Irish pub for some shepherd's pie as much as the next guy, but the law has to be the law, whether a restaurant plays Bad Bunny or the Clancy Brothers. If it employs illegals, they are subject to deportation,鈥� writes Fox News columnist . The rhetoric surrounding President Trump鈥檚 more aggressive immigration policies emphasizes legal status and nativist rhetoric, and this leaves even white, undocumented Irish immigrants vulnerable to mistreatment.聽

聽聽聽聽Data and stories such as these have led to increased anxiety and fear among the undocumented Irish community. One undocumented Irish immigrant describes the , stating that: 鈥淭here鈥檚 tips being posted online 鈥� for people to report businesses if they suspect there's undocumented people working. It's horrible. There's definitely a feeling here, which is new and not nice.鈥� According to Irish-American lawyer, , the level of fear among undocumented Irish in the U.S. is 鈥減alpable.鈥� Some are choosing to 鈥渟elf-deport鈥� rather than be arrested and imprisoned for months at a detention center, like Seamus Culleton. O鈥橠wyer has even advised undocumented Irish or other celebrations. He states that: 鈥淚n the current climate, if they are undocumented, they can鈥檛 go home because they are not going to get back in. At the moment, they just have to stay low and hope this boils over. I can鈥檛 give them much better advice than that. It鈥檚 that dark, and it鈥檚 cruel. What they are doing is they are picking up people and then detaining them unnecessarily.鈥� This fear has been documented by increased requests for consular help, with reports of a in requests to the Irish government from immigrants in the U.S.

聽聽聽聽This atmosphere of fear has substantial effects on the wellbeing and quality of life of undocumented immigrants, according to community leaders. Many allude to the 鈥渟queeze鈥� that increased ICE activity and aggressive immigration policies have on immigrant communities, including the Irish in the U.S. Not visiting relatives and loved ones for important holidays and celebrations, apprehension of attending work or school, fear of taking steps to increase legal status, and even self-deportation are some of the ways in which the harsher immigration regime has contributed to deep personal and psychological turmoil for many undocumented immigrants in the U.S.聽

聽聽聽聽It is important to emphasize that the volume of Irish deportations is low in comparison to immigrants from regions such as Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa. Nevertheless, the impact is concerning not just for vulnerable Irish citizens in the U.S., but also for the Irish state navigating a U.S. policy and political environment which is increasingly isolationist and nativist.聽

Irish State Response

聽聽聽聽In response to an increase in arrests, detentions, and deportations of undocumented Irish citizens in the U.S., the response from the Irish state has been muted and cautious. Since President Trump鈥檚 inauguration and the introduction of his more aggressive immigration regime, the Oireachtas has considered its impact on Ireland鈥檚 emigrant community in the U.S. Labour Party Leader Deputy posed a question concerning the rise in fear among Irish emigrants in the U.S. People Before Profit鈥檚 Deputy was concerned about the U.S. ambassador to Ireland鈥檚 knowledge of a case of a 35-year-old father who was held by ICE for 100 days. Labour鈥檚 Deputy has stressed the importance of transparency concerning the number of Irish citizens detained by ICE and their locations.聽

聽聽聽聽The responses from the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, the T谩naiste, and the Minister of State at the Foreign Affairs and Trade have been mild. An emphasis on the little power of the Irish state in influencing the immigration policies of the U.S. and a reassurance that Irish citizens should be treated with decency and respect are examples of the cautious response provided by Irish Government Ministers. It is important to note, however, that most of the criticism of the Irish state鈥檚 response and questions concerning immigration come from the opposition benches of the Irish government. This poses the question of what the opposition parties would do in reaction to President Trump鈥檚 immigration policies if they were in power at this time.聽

聽聽聽聽Other Irish politicians have been more overtly critical of how the Irish state has responded to President Trump鈥檚 aggressive immigration policies and argue that Ireland should adjust its diplomatic model. Independent and conservative Senator , for example, has called on the Irish state to work politically with the current Trump administration. He questions whether the Irish diplomatic model 鈥渋s fit for purpose,鈥� given the 鈥渄elicate and deep waters鈥� the Irish state is in concerning its current U.S. relationship. Senator Mullen appears to favor Ireland transitioning to a more realist lobbying strategy aimed at maintaining influence within a deeply polarized and unpredictable Washington D.C. John Deasy, a former Fine Gael TD and Irish Envoy to the U.S., \ perceives an imperfect Irish diplomatic model. He notes the and argues that the Irish government has a lack of contacts among Washington Republicans. However, Deasy also emphasizes that: 鈥淚t would be a mistake to think the in America exists exclusively within the Republican party.鈥� He contends that even the Democratic party in the U.S. is leaning into a nativist rhetoric and lacks a strong opposition to the Trump administration鈥檚 aggressive immigration policies.聽

聽聽聽聽It is clear that Irish political responses to the Trump administration鈥檚 aggressive immigration policies vary significantly. Some politicians call for increased transparency in the number of undocumented Irish being detained or deported from the U.S., while others among the government parties聽 take a more cautious and hesitant approach, not wishing to frustrate a contentious and unpredictable American executive. In contrast, figures such as Senator Mullen and John Deasy, call for a completely new Irish approach to U.S. relations, emphasizing the need to shift from legacy diplomacy to a more transactional engagement strategy.

聽聽聽聽President Trump鈥檚 more muscular approach to U.S. and international trade and politics prompts聽 strategic calculations about how to handle rising isolationist and nativist sentiments in the U.S. and, more specifically, the White House. The weight and punch of Ireland鈥檚 soft power diplomacy, cultivated through the Irish diaspora in the U.S. and familial relations, do not seem to be enough to influence U.S. policy and decision making on the undocumented Irish. As the Irish government navigates these 鈥渄elicate and deep waters,鈥� it faces a fundamental crisis of both identity and influence. While former U.S. President Joe Biden might insist that the targeted enforcement and pervasive fear currently gripping the community is 鈥渘ot who America is,鈥� the data tells a different story: one where the historic special relationship provides no shield against a nativist deportation regime. If the Irish state continues to wait for the return of a more nostalgic, familial American executive, it risks abandoning those who are currently living through the reality of an administration that has decided, quite clearly, that this is exactly who it is.聽

聽聽聽聽A reckoning with this isolationist American executive not only pertains to issues of Irish emigration, but it is also a litmus test for other rising issues within the U.S.-Irish relationship: tariffs, the war in Ukraine, and divergent perspectives on conflicts in the Middle East. Professor Ben Tonra articulates this point in an analysis of the , arguing that Ireland must 鈥渂e [an architect] of a shared European future,鈥� instead of deepening an alliance with a populist U.S. for the sake of nostalgia. While Professor Tonra focuses on issues such as the transatlantic alliance, trade, and defense, this attitude may prove useful for issues of Irish emigration to the U.S.聽

聽聽聽聽A transition to more realist diplomacy with the U.S., rather than a reliance on soft power and nostalgia will be crucial for Ireland in an era of rapidly evolving diplomacy. Specifically, this involves the Irish state focusing on a transactional engagement strategy with the U.S., diversifying U.S. political contacts for the protection of Irish emigrants, increasing transparency and tracking of Irish citizens in the U.S., and perhaps even a broader geopolitical shift towards European alliances. Ultimately, the Irish state must trade the foregone comfort in the familial relationship with the U.S., for a more pragmatic and realist diplomatic approach that acknowledges a Washington that has drifted far from Irish humanitarian and multilateral principles and values.