Justice Minister Helen McEntee warns that should the European Migration and Asylum Pact be dismissed, Ireland’s migration challenge would inevitably escalate as the country could not handle it solo. McEntee corrected an apparent misunderstanding by Deputy Prime Minister Micheál Martin, maintaining that data indicates 80% of asylum seekers reach the state through Northern Ireland. According to the Minister, the existing migration model is unfit due to outdated governing laws. Current laws were set up when yearly asylum applications stood at 3,500, a figure which contrasts sharply with the 13,000 applicants recorded last year.
McEntee dismissed the notion of avoiding engagement with immigration issues, stressing that no single state could confront these global challenges alone. Looking for more efficacious methods of processing asylum requests, the Irish Government agreed in March to adopt procedures in the pact. Enhanced focus will be on expeditious returns for failed applicants and speedier processing for candidates from countries deemed safe or those with invalid or devoid documentation. Provisions in the pact also include establishing asylum camps near airports and fingerprinting asylum seekers, including minors.
McEntee expressed concern over Ireland’s inability to avail of “burden sharing mechanisms” or to repatriate unsuccessful applicants if it does not adopt the pact. She emphasised that the decision wasn’t imposed as the country has been involved in these negotiations for almost a decade.
Carol Nolan, a Rural Independent MP who proposed a motion against the pact and advocated for a public vote on the matter, described Ireland as a “colonial outpost of an EU regulatory regime”. Nolan argued that the stream of EU directives and regulations has suppressed democracy in Ireland, and estimated that approximately 70% of Irish laws originate from the EU.
The representative from Laois-Offaly drew attention to instances where asylum seekers were housed in areas without any interaction with local residents, thereby creating a sense of powerlessness amongst communities. She expressed that the raising of concerns or asking of questions, even when non-confrontational in nature, were being misconstrued as borderline illegal.
A former Sinn Féin representative registered fears over the anticipated arrival of 15,000 to 20,000 asylum applicants per year in the upcoming years.
Michael Healy-Rae, an Independent representative, noted that with an undocumented migrant population of 700,000 to 1.2 million in Britain, even a smaller fraction migrating to Ireland could severely impact the system, including related services.
Labour representative Aodhán Ó Riordáin criticised Mr Healy-Rae for questioning the spending on international protection, while he himself had received around €660,000 for providing accommodation to Ukrainian refugees. Mr Ó Riordáin stressed that although it was fair to question the asylum process, it was utterly unacceptable to dehumanise asylum seekers or ascribe criminal tendencies or cultural loss to immigration.
Meanwhile, Marian Harkin, an Independent representative, pointed out that individuals seeking clarification on government’s asylum policies were being categorised as extreme right wing activists and being unfairly stigmatised.
A Sinn Féin representative for Wicklow, John Brady, claimed that the government had been dishonest about its true intentions regarding the use of Riverview House at Trudder as housing for asylum seekers, causing chaos and frustration among residents. He argued that government’s mismanagement had led to similar situations across the country.
People Before Profit representative Bríd Smith criticised that the Independent’s motion completely overlooked the core reasons why individuals seek asylum in Ireland, such as warfare, famine, and climate change.
The Independent party consistently advocate their personal Christian morals within the parliamentary House, however they simultaneously stoke fears asserting that men of colour pose a danger to women and children, causing potentially dangerous consequences, she argued. She labelled the notion that expelling all asylum seekers from Ireland would solve the current housing, health and other issues as ‘ludicrous’.
Ms Smith affirmed that these dilemmas are not caused by refugees or asylum seekers, but a result of prolonged governance by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. Her party’s decision to challenge the pact is due to its creation of scenarios like those witnessed in Libya. Here, she said, ‘concentration camps are formed and countries are bribed to detain migrants, preventing their migration across the Mediterranean. The captured individuals are then subjected to rape, exploitation and enslavement.’
Rural Independent MP Mattie McGrath stood his ground, unapologetic for introduction of this motion, citing the Government’s evasion of debate on the matter. McGrath dismissed the claim that by not partaking in the pact, Ireland would become a more appealing destination for asylum seekers. He labelled Ireland’s handling of immigration as ‘extremely inadequate’, resulting in international humiliation. He added that the Government’s tendency to attribute the blame on others and manipulate the public when inquired is nothing short of ‘gaslighting’.