On Wednesday, around 30 men who used to lodge in tents outside Dublin’s International Protection Office (IPO) were left with no place to stay. A large-scale operation on the same morning relocated over 200 asylum seekers from Mount Street to Citywest and Crooksling in the southwestern part of Dublin. In the area where the tents initially were located, barricades were set-up to discourage re-erection of the tents and the IPO entrance now has a Garda presence.
Later that day, just before 5 pm, three additional buses arrived at the IPO to transport more refugees to fresh lodgings. Despite the initial enthusiasm expressed by people like Omar, a young man from Somalia, some refugees ended up being left behind due to lack of space. Omar and others who were left behind were told to await further contact through email for information about accommodation.
Distraught, some of these men caught a bus into the city centre while others lingered at the IPO for at least an hour before leaving to visit a mosque due to lack of accommodation. Meanwhile, helpers who have been offering their aid to those staying at the IPO for the past several months reported that about 30 have abandoned their new residences and are returning to the city centre.
There are reports emerging that some individuals who were presented with lodgings at Citywest have conveyed to volunteers a lack of sufficient space, leading to certain people having to depart. In a separate incident, some individuals who were bestowed accommodation, only to return from Crooksling, complained to volunteers about the frigid temperatures and isolation from the metropolis. The Integration Department is yet to provide a commentary on the situation.
Two unnamed males in their thirties, hailing from Morocco and Egypt, residing in the sturdy, weather-resistant tents in Crooksling, reported they had been transported to St Brigid’s Home via one of three available buses, as a consequence of committing illegality.
On the dawn of Monday, staff from the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) offered them a multi-language document outlining their imminent relocation to different lodgings by vehicle, urging them to gather their possessions. The document ensured their safety, availability of food and sanitation amenities, and support from IPAS at their new accommodation.
The document explicates that International Protection (IP) aspirants do not have the authority to remain in the region of Mount Street. It proclaimed the illegality of their actions and warned of potential prosecution or coercive expulsion by An Garda Síochána (Police) in case of refusal to relocate or if they were found back in the designated region.
The encampment around the International Protection Office (IPO) on Mount Street had systematically grown since December, however by 11 am, all the tents were evacuated. The aftermath witnessed a clean-up operation with council employees seen cleansing the vicinity.
Olivia Headon, a volunteer who has supported the camped individuals at the IPO for several months, mentioned diverse reactions amongst the relocated individuals. She indicated that while some possessed a definite desire for relocation to secure lodgings, others expressed apprehensions about their transfer, speculating if they were simply transitioning “from one tent to another tent”. She also highlighted the anxieties amongst some men about moving to the remote Dublin mountains, inaccessible to the support and services near the IPO.
Ms Headon highlighted a pervasive sense of unease among some individuals, who were fearful of potential deportation or being dispatched to the UK or Rwanda.
In contrast, Dia Mohammed, originally from Jenin in the West Bank, expressed his contentment with being relocated to a new residence. Having touched down in Ireland a week ago, he described the challenging living conditions at the IPO. His journey from Palestine to Ireland, navigating through Egypt, Turkey and France, took him four months.
The Taoiseach, Simon Harris, labelled the early relocation process as a humanitarian effort, condemning the circumstances on Mount Street as wholly unsuitable. The Taoiseach’s department and the Attorney General’s office have instructed the Gardaí and Dublin City Council to enforce the law and prevent people from returning to Mount Street as well as the establishment of future settlements on city streets.
The Minister for Integration, Roderic O’Gorman, referred to the campsite as an extraordinarily tricky circumstance for the applicants, the local populace and business entities on Mount Street. He talked to RTÉ radio’s News at One and credited the extra accommodation made available recently for their ability to house everyone who had been homeless on Mount Street.
In the meantime, Paschal Donohoe, the Minister for Public Expenditure, emphasised that the Mount Street operation was aimed at securing safe accommodations for the asylum seekers who had previously lived in tents there. Mr Donohoe commented that it was not impossible that in any 24-hour cycle there may be those struggling who set up a tent. However, he had full faith that state agencies are prepared to take necessary actions to avoid reoccurrence of a similar situation.