Galwayman the driving force behind bill

A new bill is currently being debated in the United States that will, if passed, legalise twelve million undocumented immigrants and a Galwayman is one of its promoters.Billy Lawless, who emigrated twelve years ago to Chicago, where he now runs a successful restaurant business, got involved through the Chicago Celts for Immigration Reform and this week he is in Galway and the West to spread message of the importance of petitioning the US Government.“I’m here this week to tell the mammys and the daddys of those living 'illegally’ in the US to ensure that their loved ones to get their paperwork in order and there are plenty of support groups to help do that, including a coalition of Irish immigrant groups from all the major cities around the States.”In fact, three years ago Mr Lawless was made chairman of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform group, thanks to his voluntary work with Irish immigrants through his private bar and restaurant business.Almost since he landed in Chicago, anyone travelling from Galway and indeed, later spreading geographically to the West and further afield, went to his bar, The Irish Oak in North Clark Street, not only to look for a job but with a number of problems.He soon became an unofficial 'ambassador’ of the undocumented Irish and in the past year was in a position to assist two Galway families whose sons tragically died while on J1 visas in Chicago.His work hasn’t gone unnoticed as he was voted Irish Person of the Year last year and got the first ever Fr Flanagan Boys Town Award (an award that gives a nod to the priest whose work was honoured in the Bing Crosby film, Boys Town).But Mr Lawless is not in town to blow his own trumpet but for a series of media interviews as part of a campaign to ensure as much support for the bill as possible – President Barack Obama is strongly in favour of having it passed as soon as possible, realistically this could be next Spring. It was heavily defeated last time out by a strong anti-reform campaign, which is why Mr Lawless and his group have decided to come to Ireland to canvass families of the undocumented.“No matter how much posturing or internet campaign we do, I know that often the message doesn’t get through to the very people we are targeting. That’s why we thought we would target the parents because often it is them anyway who do the paperwork for their loved ones abroad.“But what I do want to get across too is for people not to be afraid to contact the authorities. People should keep paying their taxes if they have a tax ID number and they should contact their congressman or woman or get in touch online with either of the organisations actively working on getting this bill passed (www.ciic-usa.org or www.justiceforimmigrants.org).”About 70% of the undocumented are Mexicans, the rest are made up of the Irish, Poles, Africans, Asians and the rest of the world.