Last autumn senior Government ministers said the next battleground in Irish politics would be immigration. Fast forward nearly five months, it is clear that this is now the case
IN AUTUMN 2022, just six months after the Ukraine invasion, senior Government ministers said privately that the next battleground in Irish politics would be immigration.
At present, the State is accommodating 77,000 refugees, with 57,500 arriving from Ukraine while 19,741 are International Protection applicants. This time last year, Ireland was accommodating 7,500 International Protection applicants. “I agree we all need to be careful in the words we use. Those of us who are politicians in the centre ground need to be willing to talk about migration.
“I do not agree with the view that we should have no controls at all or have no nations or no borders. Those who have that view should be honest about it and not try to cover up the fact that their view is that they do not believe in any returns or any borders. They should be honest about that if that is their view,” said Varadkar.
Sources said that no politician mentioned wanting a cap on the number of refugees coming into the country, but instead the concerns centered around misinformation being spread in their areas, about the lack of communication from the Department of Integration, and concerns about how politicians were meant to react.
Though those at the FF parliamentary party were keen to emphasise that they were not advocating for a cap, they went on to say that their constituents were asking how many more people Ireland can take in. Walking that delicate line in language is key, said one TD, adding that many are finding it difficult.
TDs who spoke to The Journal said they want to play their part in countering misinformation that is being spread in their community, but without factual information being provided by the Integration Department, they are running into trouble. “[A] narrative seems to have gotten out there that single males somehow present a threat to communities – there is no evidence,” he told the Public Accounts Committee.
“We operate on trust,” Murphy told the secretary general of the department, stating that there is a level of disrespect there that they cannot impart information to their constituents. Politicians were told at that committee yesterday that the Integration Department endeavours to engage with local representatives but it acknowledged the information was being leaked and shared, which was beyond its control.
“What does that mean? What does ‘legitimately’ mean? My understanding is that people are entitled to come here to seek asylum and there is a process,” she said.
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