Social Affairs

Residents living near makeshift camps for asylum seekers in Dublin say homes ‘encircled’ by tents

Number of homeless male asylum seekers has increased to almost 1,400, according to figures published in the past fortnight

Asylum seekers with their tents in the surrounds of the International Protection Office. Photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times

Colin Gleeson
Thu Apr 4 2024 - 06:00

Residents living near the International Protection Office, where a makeshift camp for asylum seekers has formed, have said living conditions in their area have “drastically deteriorated” in recent months.

More than 2,000 “eligible male” applicants have sought asylum in Ireland since December 4th when the International Protection Accommodation Service announced it could no longer offer accommodation to male asylum seekers.

The number of homeless male asylum seekers has increased to 1,399, according to figures published in the past fortnight. Many of them have been living in tents around the headquarters of the International Protection Office on Mount Street in Dublin.

In a letter to The Irish Times, published on Thursday, a group of 17 residents of Madison Court, Grattan Hall, and Grattan Court East said there has been an “almost complete lack of discussion about the effects of this encampment on the residents of the area”.

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The group said that while they are “obviously sympathetic” to the plight of asylum seekers, and “support the provision of a more stable situation”, the current policy of “turning a blind eye to the residents most affected” is “not a solution”.

“Our buildings are encircled by tents to the extent that people on the ground floor cannot not put their hand outside their window without touching a tent,” they said.

“Litter, food waste, piles of rubbish, sleeping bags and discarded tents are constantly blown around our street and into our doorways.

“People urinate at our gate as we enter our building and the noise at night means that we cannot open our windows and even then, many residents cannot sleep at night because of the noise.”

The group said they “have been met by silence” after contacting relevant authorities for assistance.

“It is shocking that we appear to have no rights or recourse in this situation and that the law is not being enforced,” they said. “The brief respite we experienced when Crooksling opened is over and the tents have returned. It appears that the authorities are going to allow the same squalor to develop again. Can anyone set up tents wherever they wish? What happens to the residents and businesses of this neighbourhood?”

Colin Gleeson

Colin Gleeson

Colin Gleeson is an Irish Times reporter

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