I congratulate Mr. Martin Groves and his family on his appointment. I look forward to continuing to work with him. It has been a pleasure so far and we will continue in that fashion.

On 9 November 2016 I entered this House and raised concerns about the undocumented Irish in the United States of America after it had become apparent that Mr. Donald Trump had won the election and would become President of the United States of America.

That day I called on the Government to establish a special task force to work on behalf of the undocumented Irish. However, no task force was established and nothing appears to have been done by the Government. As with Brexit and most problems, the Government ignores problems until such a time as they turn into a crisis. The Government must stand behind the undocumented Irish in the United States and urgently establish a task force to make representations on their behalf.

Of the numerous executive orders signed by the President of the United States, the newest anti-immigration policies scare me the most. I am sure many of us will take a stance on them today in the House. I formally oppose, in particular, the anti-immigration, anti-refugee and anti-Muslim policies of the President of the United States. What is most disturbing and which shows a serious erosion of the rule of law is his sacking of Ms Sally Yates, the US equivalent of the Attorney General, for refusing to defend the new anti-immigration policies, which include the 120-day stay on the already meagre refugee programme and the 90-day ban on entry into the USA by nationals from seven countries with majority Muslim populations. When the Taoiseach visits the White House in March, I hope he will take the opportunity, on behalf of the many people who will never get a chance to meet the President of the United States, to raise the concerns of many Irish people about his immigration and other discriminatory policies. To do otherwise and just turn up for a photo opportunity and present a bowl of shamrock would let many people down.

I thank the Cathaoirleach and congratulate Mr. Martin Groves on his new post, in which I know he will perform extraordinarily in every way.

I alert the House to something extraordinarily historic and creative that happened in County Mayo this week - Westport House was acquired by the Hughes family. I bring up their name because the matter is in the public domain. They bought Westport House, one of the greatest landmarks and jewels in the crown of County Mayo to keep it alive and give it a future. It was a national, regional and local triumph. It is a place of great beauty, creativity and imagination for tourism, art, geography, history, music and architecture. As a business family in the town, they have kept it alive forever. All of the jobs are saved by their generosity and new direction. It was done with no rancour whatsoever. I congratulate Mr. Cathal Hughes, chairman of the Hotel Westport. In this House we talk about jobs, architecture and beauty and our own counties. This is a national icon. I also congratulate Mr. Harry Hughes and Mr. Owen Hughes, Mr. Peter Hynes of Mayo County Council, the Minister, Deputy Michael Ring, the Department and the Taoiseach. Mr. Cathal Hughes - one of our own in the west - said he intended to put €50 million into something that was our own to keep 200 jobs, understand and articulate the importance of Westport and Mayo as a county and to ensure the house would be maintained in creativity, history, beauty and imagination in perpetuity. They are exactly the kind of generous businessmen, thinkers and educators every county needs and has. It took courage to do it without rancour and disturbance. I am glad to see it. It is a change. It is one of our own, buying one of the great houses to keep it in perpetuity for the people of County Mayo. It is extremely important, especially in a world that is fluctuating.

I thank the Cathaoirleach. I congratulate Mr. Martin Groves on his new position, in which I wish him well. If he does it as well as he has done his other job since I came here, I am certain that he will enjoy success. He will have our co-operation in doing the job.

I commend the Hughes family for their initiative in buying Westport House and congratulate all involved. At the end of the day, they were the ones who put their hands in their pockets. They have a proven track record and it is good for Westport. I hope it will work out well for them.

It certainly could not be in the hands of better promoters than the Hughes family.

I refer to the executive order introduced last week by US President Donald Trump to halt the US refugee programme and the introduction by him of a travel ban for nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries. They are in breach of EU and UN obligations and amount to the subversion of proper standards of decency and equality. I am firmly of the view that this arbitrary ban is wrong and will be totally counterproductive. It will undermine efforts to improve relations between peoples of all faiths and nationalities. Generations of Irish people fled starvation, poverty and conflict to make a new life and contributed to the building of America. Millions of their descendants are among the most outraged at the recent moves. It is worth noting that many Americans are opposed to President Trump's policies. The Government should refuse to impose the ban on citizens from the seven countries in question seeking to enter the United States through the pre-clearance facilities at Dublin and Shannon airports. We have organised a protest tomorrow at Shannon Airport on this very issue. We need to ensure the State's obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights and other international agreements will be fully observed. The question is whether the Government will take the opportunity to advise the undocumented Irish in the United States not to be alarmed by recent developments. I know that many people are frightened. Will the Taoiseach meet them when he is in the USA to hear from and talk to them about the issue? The focus of his visit has to be on engaging with the diaspora, standing up for the undocumented Irish and maintaining our strong ties with Irish America. Will the Government indicate in the strongest possible terms the Irish people's total opposition to the racist, anti-woman and anti-immigrant policies of President Trump? There is a big job of work to be done and we are relying on the Taoiseach to do it. We, in the Sinn Féin Party, will be doing likewise.

I commend the farming organisations, including the IFA and the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association, for the protests they have organised today on the delays in making GLAS payments to 10,000 farmers. That is wrong and my colleague, Senator Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, will talk further about the issue.

On my own behalf and that of the Civil Engagement group, I congratulate Mr. Martin Groves and wish him the best of luck in his new role as Clerk of the Seanad.

Like everyone else, I express my disgust and horror at the executive order issued by the Trump Administration last Friday. President Trump's defence is based on national security grounds, but no nationals of the relevant countries were involved in the events of 9/11 and the central shared feature is that they are all Muslim-majority nations. President Trump campaigned on a platform of nativism and racism, but many commentators said his radical policies would never be implemented. However, recent events have proved them to be wholly wrong. I am horrified that a US President believes he is justified in pursuing this course of action. He is targeting members of one of the world's largest religions based on the actions of extremists, a religion which has 3.3 million followers in his own country. He is absolutely failing in his duty to represent all Americans. It is clear that we must take every opportunity available to us to oppose and resist the discriminatory policies of this President which fly in the face of the values of the Irish people and Irish society. We value diversity which we appreciate is one of our greatest strengths. We oppose discrimination and those who engage in the politics of division. I support the call that the provision of US immigration per-clearance facilities be reviewed to ensure we are in full compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements. If it is discovered that we are colluding on Irish soil in imposing this discriminatory ban, we should no longer offer the service at Irish airports.

I join others in congratulating Mr. Martin Groves on his appointment as Clerk of the Seanad. It is well deserved and I look forward to working with him.

I join other speakers in recording my strong condemnation and that of the Labour Party of the executive order issued by President Trump.

With many others in this city, on 21 January I took part in the women's march to express our opposition to what we saw as the sexist, misogynistic policies of President Trump. However, his actions since, particularly at the weekend in issuing the executive order restricting immigration, have gone further. As others said, this very much deserves outright condemnation by those of us who are concerned to ensure we do not see racial profiling and what amounts to an effective ban on Muslims in that it is a ban on citizens of many countries. As others said, the executive order has serious implications for us in Ireland. If one looks today at the website of the US Embassy in Ireland, one will see a notice on the front page telling anyone who is a citizen, or a dual citizen, of one of the seven countries mentioned not to apply for a visa, not to continue with a visa application already in train and to cancel an interview if one has been granted one. These are Irish citizens who also happen to be citizens of one of the seven countries named in the order.

We then saw the dismissal of Ms Sally Yates as Attorney General by President Trump because she had taken the view that she could not be sure of the lawfulness of the executive order, in particular its effect on those who had already been through a process and who now it appears will be denied entry to the United States. These are all very serious questions. I call on the Leader to bring the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan, before this House to answer a number of private notice questions that my colleague and our party leader, Deputy Brendan Howlin, tabled in the Dáil today but which were disallowed. He asked that the Taoiseach outline the circumstances which had led to his request for a complete review of the operation of pre-clearance facilities, in particular that he explain whether there were possible legal implications for Ireland arising from possible complicity in the implementation by US authorities of policies that might have the effect of causing discrimination based on race or religion. He also raised the question others have raised, namely, whether the new US restrictions fly in the face of the international legal obligations on each state towards asylum seekers and those seeking refuge. Therefore, I ask the Leader to bring the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade before this House this week to answer these questions.

I also support my party leader's call for the Taoiseach not to attend the St. Patrick's Day celebrations in the United States on 17 March if the restrictions remain in place. We all hope the US legal and democratic system is sufficiently robust. As we have seen, a number of judges are refusing to implement the order in the case of people who have been through the visa process. I hope we will see the executive order being reversed or repealed before St. Patrick's Day. However, we must take a stance as Irish people in support of our own values and against these discriminatory and highly troubling new orders emanating from President Trump.

I share the concerns expressed about the recent developments in the USA. However, how we respond to and deal with this international challenge which is what it is is very important. It is important that the Taoiseach visit the White House on St. Patrick's Day. I disagree with and strongly reject what the leader of Fianna Fáil in the Seanad has said about the Government. The Government is concerned about the undocumented Irish. The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan, is in Washington engaging through the Irish Embassy and consulate with American officials. He will highlight the concerns of the undocumented Irish. The Government appointed a Minister of State with responsibility for the diaspora. It also appointed a Member of this House, Senator Billy Lawless, who is a strong voice for many Irish emigrants in the United States of America. Therefore, it is unfair to be political on this very important issue for all of us. I ask the leader of Fianna Fáil in the Seanad to take back what she said today. Thousands of Irish people have used the pre-clearance facilities in Dublin and Shannon airports and continue to take advantage of them. Simply abandoning them will not achieve what I think we all wish for in respect of our shared concerns about immigration. We must be very careful in how we approach the issue.

I turn briefly to another major challenge facing Ireland, namely, Brexit. The economic challenges facing the country cross many sectors, including the agrifood sector, but one sector which can be particularly vulnerable is the energy and IT sector. As an island nation, now is the time for us to engage with our European partners to invest in an energy interconnector and a high-speed broadband interconnector with mainland Europe and a transatlantic broadband connection with the United States of America. We cannot afford to allow ourselves to be isolated or at a disadvantage in any way if a hard Brexit occurs.

Now is the time to put the fundamental parts in place in planning infrastructure in order that Ireland can compete internationally with no disadvantages as an island nation. Our European partners can help us in that regard. I ask the Leader of the House to arrange a debate on these issues in order that Ministers can outline their plans for how they propose to deal with these challenges.

I congratulate Mr. Groves on his appointment and know that he will do an excellent job.

I support my colleague, Senator Catherine Ardagh, in her comments on the need to establish a task force for the undocumented Irish in the United States, of whom there are 50,000, for each of whom, there are ten people at home who are worried about their future. That represents 10% of the population of this island who have somebody in the United States facing deportation.

In his executive order President Trump singled out the Muslim community. It is the headline we are hearing and it is truly appalling. It is sectarian and racist and meant to be so. On the campaign trail he promised that he would target and ban Muslims. This has nothing to do with terrorism but with people's religion. In the small print and of particular concern to the undocumented Irish, he has ordered the hiring of an extra 15,000 enforcement officers. He has told people in "sanctuary cities" such as San Francisco and Boston that they can no longer have a system under which law enforcement officers are not allowed to ask about anyone's immigration status. They must now start to ask about the immigration status of anybody they question about a particular crime or even something as small as running a red light.

The Mayor of Boston, Mr. Martin Walsh, has stood up to President Trump and stated he will not implement this instruction, as have many other mayors throughout the United States. President Trump stated he would only get rid of criminals among the undocumented 11 million people living in the United States, but his definition of "criminal" has again been broadened, which means that all 11 million could quite easily fall within the scope of the definition of those to be deported. There will be no comprehensive immigration reform Bill in the United States any time soon, or at all, but we were very close with the McCain-Kennedy Bill in 2007. In 2013 the Senate passed a Bill by 68 votes to 32 that would have given 10,500 visas to the Irish. I know that Senator Billy Lawless and Mr. Ciaran Staunton of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform worked very hard on that Bill.

We are asking for a task force to be established because we have spoken to people in the Irish-American community. We have spoken to people in pastoral centres in New York, Boston and San Francisco and they will need resources to help those who will be arrested. They will need to provide counselling resources for those who will find themselves isolated and fearful about their future. We need a task force to ensure resources will be provided for the Irish-American community, including the 50,000 people who are under threat of deportation at any moment.

I congratulate Mr. Groves on his appointment. I was going to say it as a young rookie, but I will keep the "young" out of it. For the few months I have been a Member of the House, Mr. Groves and his staff have been so courteous to me. I wish him well. His appointment is well deserved.

On Friday, 27 January 2017, President Trump signed an executive order halting the entire refugee programme for Syria for four months. Citizens from Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Libya and Yemen will be blocked for a period of three months. The executive order also included permanent legal residents and dual citizens who held a passport for any of the countries listed. The result was confusion and fear among immigrant and refugee communities across the United States and at major airports. The reaction of ordinary American citizens to this un-American act, however, has been nothing short of extraordinary. On Sunday I stood as a Senator for the global Irish in solidarity with immigrant and refugee community groups at Chicago's O'Hare Airport. Over 4,000 people turned out in an impromptu show of force and defiance to denounce President Trump's executive order.

There were similar protests in New York, Boston, Denver and at 33 other airports across the United States. At one stage more than 50 people had been detained at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. Citizens and green card holders with valid visas were detained by customs and border control agents operating under the auspices of the Department of Homeland Security. New York Federal Judge Ms Ann Donnelly, a good Irish-American, granted a stay on deportations and eventually everyone who had been detained was released.

On Sunday I met a young man from the Iraqi Mutual Aid Society in Chicago. His parents are from Iraq and both of them have a green card. They have spent ten years in Iraq working for American non-governmental organisations helping to rebuild a ravaged country. Recently, Othman Al Ani's mother travelled to Egypt to visit a son who she had not seen in eight years. As of Sunday, she remained trapped in Egypt and unable to return home as a result of the ban.

America is a country of laws, but it is also a country of values. It has always been outward looking and welcoming to immigrants of all faiths and from all lands. The executive order does not reflect the spirit of the American people or the country's leadership role in the world. I do not believe President Trump's actions serve the interests of Muslims who are banned from entering the United States, the 50,000 undocumented Irish living in the United States or the 34 million people in the United States who claim Irish ancestry. I call on the Trump Administration to rescind the executive order. I call on it to follow the words of Pope Francis who has admonished us to welcome the stranger and those fleeing suffering or persecution. In this climate the 50,000 undocumented Irish in the United States are watching closely in fear and trepidation. President Trump stated in his presidential campaign that those who had overstayed their visa were more guilty than those who had sneaked across the border into America and that would include Irish people. It is my hope we can present a united voice in this country that will have a lasting effect. I hope we can come together in a collective way to tell President Trump exactly what the citizens of Ireland think of his actions in the past few days. He may wish to build walls to divide nations, but that cannot be our objective.

I fully support the Taoiseach in not rejecting the invitation to visit the White House. Ireland is the only country that has this honour on its national day, which we have enjoyed for the past 60 years. Many countries are envious of our special relationship with the United States. We need dialogue. For advocates of immigration reform in the United States like me and others, it is essential that we keep open the gates of communication. I stand ready to work with the Government to represent the interests of our most vulnerable citizens living abroad. I call on the Taoiseach to continue to raise this issue at the highest levels of the US Government.

I heartily add my words of congratulations to Mr. Groves on his well deserved appointment.

At the weekend there was distress at airports in the United States and elsewhere as a result of President Trump banning travel from seven countries with a Muslim majority. He has turned his back on the plight of refugees. No matter what a person's faith is, he or she deserves to be protected from conflict and helped to find safety. I add my voice to all who have appealed to President Trump to show grace and understanding. His ban does not target terrorists but vulnerable people and, disproportionately, those of the Islamic faith. His action cannot be defended and should not continue. It is only with understanding and co-operation can we hope to end the conflict and discourage terrorism.

On the question of the Taoiseach's visit, it is vital that he travel to Washington on our national day. It is a unique opportunity to meet President Trump face to face and deal with these issues, not least for the 50,000 undocumented Irish. I am sure the Taoiseach will deal with the matter in his own inimitable way. If I may so, he is our trump card.

Steady on.

We have every confidence in him.

We do not.

When all is said, I can never have confidence in him.

President Trump would do well to remember the words of the great Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty who saved thousands of Jews, prisoners of war and others in Rome during the Second World War, namely, that God has no country. We must help and show goodwill to all.