The biggest issue for the Irish community in the United States is a current "sense of vulnerability", Minister of State for Diaspora Neale Richmond has said.
Speaking to RTÉ News during a visit to the US, he said that both those who live legally in the US and those who are undocumented are worried about their own immigration status and that of their their neighbours.
When asked about increased efforts to arrest and detain migrants, he said people are scared.
"They're not necessarily seeing ICE in their neighbourhoods. They're not necessarily feeling under immediate threat. But between media reports, between the political narrative, there is a genuine, real fear about their own situation and where the United States is going," he said.
"They're looking to hope. They're looking to Ireland to provide that level of surety, and ultimately, we have the responsibility, particularly through our consulate network and through the Irish centres, to make sure that we're there for our community," he added.
Minister Richmond said that people are falling through the cracks because of their immigration status and that is leading to very serious issues with mental health and addiction.
"There are people here legally, but they're worried about their friends. They're worried about their neighbours. Some of the undocumented would be quite elderly at this stage.
"They'd finish their working life. Moving from the post-pandemic situation in certain areas, they're living in a more difficult political situation, and there is a sense of real concern," he said.
Issues raised to him during his visit to the east coast of the US last week were not surprising to him, he said, due to the numbers of people seeking consular assistance from the Department of Foreign Affairs.
"We've seen, ultimately, last year, five times more people move to Ireland from the US than people from Ireland moving to the US. So that is not necessarily surprising, but when you meet these people in person and hear those testimonies directly, it is still very challenging," he added.
Minister Richmond described the case of Seamus Culleton, an Irish man living in the US for almost 20 years who was picked up by ICE last September, as an "ongoing situation".
Mr Culleton, originally from Glenmore in Co Kilkenny, was taken to a detention centre in Texas, almost 4,000km away from his home in Boston.
When asked if he was still in detention or deported, Minister Richmond said he could not comment further.
