Sean Minihane was one of the founders of the Irish Immigration Reform Movement and one of its leading voices.
Now the Skibbereen County Cork native's work as an advocate for legal Irish immigration to America is being sal;uted by his university alma matter, University College Cork.
And the honoring is being lauded by U.S. Senator Charles Schumer who has known Minihane since his days as a Queens-based front line campaigner for immigration reform.
The senate Majority Leader praised Minihane for making “a positive change in American immigration policy.”
Said a release from UCC: In 1987 Skibbereen native Sean Minihane and a group of Irish and Irish Americans established the Irish Immigration Reform Movement (IIRM) in New York to give a voice to Irish immigrants. In just three short years this passionate and committed group would change American immigration law, and improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of undocumented Irish in the United States in the late 1980’s through to 1990’s."
On Friday evening April 8 Minihane, now 59, will be recognized for this work by UCC togerther with five other distinguished alumni. All be be the recipients of achievement awards.
“When it comes to making positive change in American immigration policy and keeping open the path to citizenship for Irish immigrants, there is no person more deserving of recognition for leadership, persistence, and impact than Sean Minihane," said Senator Schumer.
Added Schumer: “From its founding in the rooms of the Cork Association in Queens to the countless rallies, lobby visits, fundraisers, marches and more, the Irish Immigration Reform Movement that Sean helped found was at the very vanguard of mobilizing public support for desperately needed changes to immigration law that presented overly steep hurdles for those immigrants from Ireland seeking to build a better life in America.
"The IIRM made partnership with key elected officials, including me, and through their savvy and passion and persistence the IIRM achieved profound success with the passage of the Immigration Act of 1990, which created the Morrison visas. I could not be more proud that these visas eventually bore my name. We remain deeply grateful to Sean Minihane for his selfless work and extraordinary legacy."
Added the UCC release: "The enactment in 1986 of the US Immigration reform and Control Act resulted in huge restrictions to the lives of undocumented immigrants in the America. Following the success of the Donnelly Visa Program in 1987, which resulted in thousands of visas for previously undocumented Irish immigrants, the IIRM set out to push for more expansive reform.
"The Immigration Act of 1990 (H.R. 4300), with its Morrison and Schumer visa provisions, stands as the primary legislative legacy of the IIRM. This legislation provided a three-year transitional visa program through which 48,000 visas were granted to Ireland, as well as the annual diversity visa lottery program which has continued into the twenty-first century."
Also receiving UCC Alumni Achievement Awards on Friday night will be Cork Circuit Court Judge Helen Boyle, health care innovator Professor Des Crowley, poet and author Doireann Ní Ghríofa, and biofuel pioneer Professor Martin Tangney.
President of UCC, Professor John O’Halloran stated: “It is an honor to recognize these five UCC alumni who have made real impact in careers, changing lives and our society for the better. We are very proud that our alumni have been generous and impactful in securing a better life for our citizens and our planet.”
The UCC Alumni Achievement awards dinner is an annual celebration by UCC of its alumni, previous winners include RTÉ broadcaster Marty Morrissey, psychologist Maureen Gaffney and Michelin starred chef Ross Lewis.
