Taoiseach hits back after Sunak says cross-Border migration vindicates Rwanda policy
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Ireland will not become a “loophole” for the UK’s migration policy, the Taoiseach has vowed, with emergency legislation being drafted to allow for the return of asylum seekers who arrive here from the North.
Justice Minister Helen McEntee will today meet her British counterpart, James Cleverly, after it was suggested that Britain’s contentious Rwanda policy has resulted in a spike of asylum seekers crossing the border into Ireland.
Last week, Ms McEntee revealed that more than 80% of people applying for asylum in Ireland are coming over the border with the North. She also confirmed that less than 100 of the 7,300 people refused asylum in Ireland since the start of 2023 have been deported.
It has been reported that Britain will begin to detain asylum seekers from today — weeks earlier than expected — in preparation for their deportation to Rwanda for processing. Those who attend routine meetings at immigration service offices will be immediately transferred to detention centres, while officials also plan to pick people up nationwide in a major two-week exercise.
Those seeking asylum in Britain will then be put on flights to Rwanda, which are due to begin this summer.
British prime minister Rishi Sunak said the increase in migrants coming to the Republic from the North, which now accounts for 80% of the total, shows that his Rwanda plan is working. Mr Sunak said:
Asked about this, Taoiseach Simon Harris said Cabinet will discuss new legislation being drafted to clamp down on this when it meets on Tuesday. The proposed new laws would allow for the transfer of people back across the border.
“The integrity of our migration policy in this country will not be in any way, shape, or form undermined by anybody else’s migration policy and I’m very clear on that,” he said.
Mr Harris said every country is entitled to have its own migration policy, but added: “I certainly don’t intend to allow anybody else’s migration policy affect the integrity of our own.
“This country will not in any way, shape, or form provide a loophole for anybody else’s migration challenge.”
The Taoiseach added that there are significant benefits to migration, but Ireland is also a country that has rules in place that will be enforced.
“We intend to provide humanitarian assistance to those who come here and have a right to it,” he said.
"The proposals being brought forward by my colleague, the Minister for Justice, this week with facilitate that.”
Enterprise Minister Peter Burke ruled out measures that would curtail free movement across the border, but said joint operations with the PSNI and the gardaí will increase.
“Obviously, we have an open border, we fought so hard for that ability during Brexit because it is so important for our country to have the free movement and pieces of goods and services,” Mr Burke said. "And that’s critical to our success as an island economy. We have to protect that. But we will work to try respond to this issue with the Minister for Justice on Tuesday.”
Sinn Féin’s Michelle O’Neill claimed neither Mr Harris, Ms McEntee, nor Tánaiste Micheál Martin made any contact with her as first minister in the North over the issue of people crossing the border and claiming asylum here.
Meanwhile, Mr Harris has criticised protests outside people’s homes as “downright thuggery” at an event commemorating a murdered politician.
He said that, “too often”, politicians have been targeted at their homes by “angry mobs”, have been “attacked and abused”, and have been in fear of what might happen to their families.
He also said he is satisfied An Garda Síochána does not need new laws to deal with public order incidents and said he would support gardaí in enforcing laws through measures such as the introduction of garda bodycams.
Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín called for an Irish Sea border in terms of the movements of people and suggested that passport checks should be in place at ports and airports in Northern Ireland.
“It’s absolutely not doable to be able to check people on the border between the north of Ireland and the south or the idea that the PSNI and the gardaí are going to start putting checkpoints up on the border, it’s not possible,” he told RTÉ’s the Week in Politics.