Philly Mayor urges Irish to lead immigrant welcome

By Irish Echo Staff

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney has told an Irish American business audience that the Irish should lead the way when it comes to welcoming immigrants to the U.S.

“Part of the problem in the immigration debate is that too many of our own people don’t know our own history,” he said in his address to the Irish Small Business-Big Impact 50 Awards in the Union League of Philadelphia.

“And when they take somewhat unfortunate positions on who should be able to come to this country now, I think they need to go read the 1840s history book about what happened in Philadelphia and in America. We were a Papist plot to take over and overthrow the United States government according to the know-nothings. Two of our churches in Philadelphia were burnt to the ground.”

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