I wish the Taoiseach, and indeed the Minister, Deputy McEntee well in New York.

I was thinking of that this morning and of the significance in terms of our migration and immigration policy, our history of forced emigration, how families were forced to leave here, and the reception they may have received in Liverpool, London, Boston, Manhattan or New York. Then I thought what a difference. We would have seen, or people would have known and reported sightings in London at guesthouses of certain signs. A father and his son of 17 were walking in London and they saw a sign that said "No pets, no blacks and no Irish". The 17-year-old son was also looking for work and asked what all that meant and the father really could not communicate. There was that great sense of anxiety and disappointment. How do you explain to a 17-year-old with aspirations and dreams that this is what is happening? We know what happened to the many people who did not survive the coffin ships that went to New York, where the Taoiseach will be today, and other places. We know how many of those people were put into various categories and how some were rejected and turned back to the sea.

You could ask what we have learned from all that and how it impacts on us today, as people with a similar plight who have been forced to leave their countries come to Ireland. What reception do we give them? I will leave the House with that thought. It is not a very good one. It is not one where we can stand up with a good track record. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, will be going to the site of the Twin Towers today or tomorrow. She will be laying a wreath and paying respect on behalf of the Government. One of the things she will see there is the massive place of so many Irish names of people who were at the front line of the emergency services on that terrible day. Again, there is that link between the Irish and America. We have a lot to learn. I wish the Taoiseach well in his engagement with the Mayor of New York and others and I have no doubt he will do a great service.

I will finish by asking about something which I know is of huge interest to the Leader. We need to address the matter of the undocumented Irish in America. I hope that will be raised by the Taoiseach and the Minister for foreign affairs and I ask that we prioritise a debate on the undocumented Irish who cannot return home even if they want to. They cannot come home with dollars in their pocket because they are undocumented. What works here and is applied here must be applied there. Let us have a bigger and a more open heart. Let us think about the Irish who are trapped outside this country, and those from so many other countries who are fleeing those countries, are trapped and not necessarily getting a warm reception, based on the experience we have had ourselves.