There is an old adage that candidates campaign in poetry and govern in prose. In his poetry the President-elect Trump always sought to go low. In his prose we can only hope he occasionally reaches high. That said, all of us as democrats accept and respect the decision made by the American people. They voted for a man who they believe will change things. They voted because they are unhappy with the status quo. One of the changes championed by the President-elect has been the change in immigration policy. When congratulating President-elect Trump yesterday, the Taoiseach said that he also intended to work closely with the new Administration and newly elected United States Congress to pursue comprehensive immigration reform. On 1 September, however, Donald Trump said that there will be no amnesty and that he will set up a special deportation task force. He said that one cannot obtain legal status or become a citizen of the United States by illegally entering that country. Mr. Trump's position is diametrically opposed to the stated policy of Ireland. Mr. Trump has said that he would deport illegal immigrants from the United States within 100 days of taking office. That clock is ticking. Perhaps the Tánaiste will indicate what the Government's strategy is to secure immigration reform on the basis of an agreed position by the House. Will the Tánaiste indicate what the Government has done to date, in the anticipation of a possible Trump election victory, to address this crucial issue?

As the Deputy said, the American people have spoken and democratically elected Donald Trump to be their next President. Deputy Brendan Howlin raised, in particular, the issue of immigration reform which, as he said, had featured so prominently in the debate. I confirm to the House that, of course, securing relief for the undocumented Irish in the United States remains an absolute priority for the Government. We have had all along a two-pronged approach to the issue of immigration reform - trying to regularise the status of the undocumented and trying to get a dedicated quota for legal emigration from Ireland. On the former, we have pressed and will continue to press for a solution for the undocumented Irish. We all know of individual cases and the trauma and difficulties for Irish people who find themselves in this position. As the Deputy knows, both he and Ministers in the previous Government consistently raised the issue with their US counterparts at every opportunity. The Minister, Deputy Charles Flanagan, raises it continuously and will continue to do so. Of course, as we well know, a new Administration and a new Congress will take time to settle in, but we fully intend to pursue the issue in our contacts with the Administration and Congress and encourage and promote realistic possibilities for a solution. They should be in no doubt that this remains a priority. The relationship between Ireland and the United States has a long history and there are many ties that bind us. This will continue to be the case. The relationship between Ireland and the United States is complex and multilayered and based on a shared community, as well as our political and economic ties. Less than 48 hours have passed since the election result was confirmed. We obviously do not know yet the likely composition of the Trump Administration, but, as the Deputy said, the Taoiseach has already made contact and had a preliminary conversation. We will continue to pursue the values we hold dear and the priority issues, of which immigration reform remains an absolute priority.

Like the rest of us, the Tánaiste has some awareness of the anxiety of the 50,000 undocumented Irish, many of whom are calling our offices to see what can be and what is to be done to address their precarious situation. We need to have a strategy and a discussion about it. We can do something. Migrant Rights Centre Ireland estimates that there are between 20,000 and 26,000 undocumented persons living in Ireland, of whom between 2,000 and 6,000 are children. There are thousands of young undocumented children in Ireland who, bluntly, live in the shadows of our society. This is an issue we can address. If we are to take the initiative the Minister has indicated to protect the 50,000 undocumented Irish in the United States, is there not an absolute burden on us and an imperative for us to practise what we preach and address the position of those in the State who are undocumented?

Of course, this is the reality every country has to face. I have had meetings with the Migrant Rights Council of Ireland and intend to have further discussions. Of course, what, in the first instance, we encourage everyone to do is make contact with official sources and regularise his or her position. As the Deputy knows, every few months in this country there are citizenship ceremonies which many thousands of people attend. Every week and every month hundreds of visas are granted to people to work in this country. We have a very inclusive approach to those who seek to work here. This is continuing and there has been no change in that regard. That is what I encourage those who are undocumented to do. The Migrant Rights Council of Ireland and I have been discussing what other actions we might take to ensure this will happen. That is the primary focus.