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One News: Mary Calpin reports that Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern, is disappointed at the US Senate vote on immigration reform
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Drivetime: Niall O'Dowd, Chair, Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, explains that the reform effort is now effectively dead until after the next US presidential election after today's defeat
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern, has expressed disappointment at last night's US Senate vote on immigration reform.
The Senate voted against debating US President George W Bush's Immigration Reform Bill, by 53 to 46.
The proposed legislation called for a tightening of border controls and offered 12 million illegal immigrants, including thousands of Irish, a path to citizenship.
Mr Ahern described the vote as a set-back but said that it would not diminish the Government's determination to secure a fair deal for the illegal Irish and their families.
