Landmark immigration plan will commit to avoiding use of ‘last hotel’ in a town for asylum seekers
The Government’s landmark new immigration plan will commit to avoiding the use of the “last hotel” in a town to accommodate asylum seekers.
Minister for Integration Roderic O’Gorman will bring the long-awaited plan to Cabinet today alongside measures to overhaul immigration procedures from Minister for Justice Helen McEntee. However, for the time being, the State will continue to rely on hotels where more than one is operating in a locality.
Moves to accommodate asylum seekers in a town’s only operational hotel have led to angry backlashes including at the D Hotel in Drogheda and the Racket Hall hotel in Roscrea. Local representatives and residents have complained that closing functioning amenities deprives towns of commercial income for neighbouring businesses and leaves communities with nowhere to hold events.
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