People asked not to seek refuge in Ireland with migration crisis response in ‘extremely difficult phase’

The Government has asked people who “are considering seeking refuge” in the State but are currently in places of safety “not to travel to Ireland at this time and to defer making travel arrangements” due to pressures related to the migration crisis intensifying.

The Department of Children said in social media posts that the request was being made due to “a severe shortage of available accommodation”. It earlier warned that the response to the crisis has entered an “extremely difficult phase”.

The processing facility for refugees and asylum applicants at Citywest in Dublin has again reached capacity and is temporarily closing to new international protection applicants, the department said. The hub is to remain fully operational for processing people arriving in the State but is not in a position to provide emergency overflow accommodation to new adult applicants.

The International Protection Accommodation Service, however, will continue to provide accommodation for families with children.

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“Due to the nationwide shortage of available accommodation for international protection applicants, particularly single males, the transit hub has been providing emergency shelter while applicants wait to be assigned to accommodation,” the department said. “It is no longer possible to provide emergency shelter to IP adults as the transit hub has now reached capacity.”

Any applicants who do not secure accommodation when they arrive are to have their details taken and would be contacted “as soon as accommodation becomes available”, the department said, adding that the policy will be kept under review.

Insufficient availability

The State has, since early last year, accommodated more than 73,000 people who have fled the war in Ukraine or made applications through the international protection (IP) system.

“The response to the ongoing migration crisis has now entered an extremely difficult phase, with insufficient accommodation available nationwide for international protection applicants, and the outlook for accommodation for people fleeing the war in Ukraine is also challenging,” the department said.

Minister for Children and Integration Roderic O’Gorman warned last week that further closures of the Citywest facility were coming down the track, with Ministers preparing for a scenario where the same number of refugees arrives into Ireland this year as last.

There has been a significant shortfall in available accommodation for international protection applicants, separate to those fleeing the war in Ukraine.

According to modelling completed for the Government last month, an extra 19,450 refugees could arrive in Ireland by the end of March, the equivalent of some 1,220 a week. If this pattern held for the rest of the year, the total number of arrivals this year could reach 65,000.

The modelling assumes that 85 per cent of new arrivals would need accommodation. On this basis, there could be potential shortfall of accommodation to the tune of around 8,000 beds by March. This is notwithstanding plans to have 2,000 modular units ready in that time, along with around 3,213 spaces in refurbished accommodation.

In terms of international protection, some 1,500 existing spaces will no longer be available in that time period, leading to a shortfall of more than 6,000 bed places by spring.

A major additional complication this spring is that around 900 hotel beds are due to revert to tourism purposes, so the department will also need to find spaces for those affected by that development as well as new arrivals.