Irish Minister for Communication, Energy and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan arrived in New York on Tuesday on the first leg of his journey to the United States, and spent the afternoon hearing from the undocumented Irish immigrants.

Earlier Ryan had met with staff at both the Aisling Irish Immigration Center in Yonkers and the Emerald Isle Immigration Centre in the Bronx.

Ryan, a Green Party member, held a round table meeting with undocumented Irish immigrants from the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform at the Aisling Center. This was the first Irish ministerial visit to New York since March, and Ryan said the immigration issue was a priority for him on this trip.

He met with a group of about 25 undocumented immigrants, who included Brian and Caroline McKenna and their baby son Luke, and Johnny and Susan Keaney and their children, Aine, John and newborn Brian.

Ryan gave heart to the group when he said that their plight was not being forgotten about in Ireland.

“The Irish government is committed to working to find a resolution on this issue,” he said. “We are all fully aware of what is happening here and we are not forgetting about you. We’re not giving up on you.”

Parents at the meeting spoke of how they were forced to put their children on flights back to Ireland as unaccompanied minors so they could visit their grandparents in Ireland.

Ryan took time out to sit down with undocumented Irish in New York to hear first hand the issues pertaining to living in the shadows in the United States.

Directly after the meeting, Ryan told the Irish Voice that he felt a real sense of crisis among the Irish community here.

“It’s such a difficult situation for everyone involved, especially those with young children because they can’t go home and visit their grandparents. The stories are really heartbreaking because their daily lives are heavily affected by this all the time,” said Ryan, promising to report back his findings to the Irish government when he gets back to Dublin next week.

Ryan, a dedicated environmentalist, will meet with various businessmen and government and will travel around New York in a hybrid car to save fuel.

He would like to follow the footsteps of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and use the subway.

“I asked when I was here to keep within what I was saying about cutting down emissions as much as possible. I think Mayor Bloomberg should be commended; he is doing exactly the right thing by showing the way. I would also like to follow his example and get a train to Washington, just another way to lead by example at some of the meetings I’m attending,” he said.

Later on Tuesday, Ryan attended a Young Irish Network reception in the Irish Consulate where he heard an address by Irish philanthropist Niall Mellon, founder of the largest house-building charity in South Africa.

On Wednesday morning, Ryan is to meet with New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer’s environment and sustainability team, and then with Dr. Rohit Aggarwala, director of the Mayor’s Office for Long Term Planning and Sustainability.

Ryan will wear many hats on his trip, but on Wednesday he is hoping to sit down with experts in the areas of sustainable energy and communications and report to them what is happening in Ireland and to hear from them about their areas in the United States

“I will try to find out and get the international perspective as to what’s happening with the development of broadband and other telecommunications services. It will be a lot about listening to what is happening here but also sharing our experiences from home,” he said.

Following discussions on ways to improve communications and the environment, Ryan will visit Enterprise Ireland’s Incubator Center in Ireland House, and while there he will also meet with Digital Media company. After meeting with press to discuss his trip and his plans for the future, Ryan will attend a dinner hosted by Telecom, the Irish telephone provider.

Ryan will arrive in Washington, D.C. on Thursday morning to meet with the European American Business Council, followed by a meeting with Congressman Ed Markey, chairman of the House subcommittee for telecoms and a member of the sub committee for energy and air quality.

In the afternoon, Ryan will continue his leg of meetings starting with Deputy Dick Beaird, deputy U.S. coordinator for multilateral affairs at the State Department, and then with Billy Pizer with Resources for the Future.

Prior to leaving for Ireland on Friday, Ryan will attend a breakfast hosted by new Irish Ambassador to the United States Michael Collins. He then will meet with John Kneuer, assistant secretary for communications, at the Department of Commerce, as well as meet John Podesta of the Center for American Progress.