Concerns have been raised about potential shortfalls in forthcoming migration regulations during a Dublin rally requesting an amnesty for a group of about 1,500 asylum seekers.
Ireland is set to enforce the EU migration and asylum pact by June of next year, tightening legislation around international protection. The European Commission has said new regulations will accelerate border procedures and facilitate “more efficient returns” for unsuccessful applicants.
However, Abolish Direct Provision Ireland (ADPI), a grassroots organisation that supports and campaigns on behalf of asylum seekers, believes the new approach will aggravate existing problems.
Spokeswoman Angelia Russell said attempts to process asylum seekers faster will lead to more mistakes being made.
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“We are receiving other people’s documents. Our children are being processed as single applicants. People aren’t receiving their interview dates, and they miss the interview and immediately get a negative decision,” she said during the demonstration outside Leinster House on Wednesday.
“So many mistakes are happening that we don’t feel the EU Migration Pact, as quick as it is coming in, is going to do what it’s supposed to do.”
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Hundreds of campaigners gathered on International Human Rights Day to request an amnesty for 1,500 “long-term” asylum seekers in Ireland, those who have been in the process for longer than six months.
Many arrived on buses from direct provision centres around the country. There were chants of “stop deportation” and “we want justice”.
The amnesty sought is a Stamp 4 immigration permission to live and work in Ireland. A Stamp 4 is issued for two years and can be renewed provided a recipient continues to satisfy the criteria for international protection status.
As a condition, if granted amnesty, the group said they would commit to moving out of direct provision accommodation within six months. If they failed to do so, they said their amnesty could be revoked.
Ms Russell, who arrived in Ireland almost six years ago from South Africa, said she was still attending tribunals and appeals regarding her application for international protection.
Concerns have been raised by human rights groups, including the Irish Refugee Council and the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, around gaps in the legislative process for dealing with vulnerable asylum seekers, as well as the likelihood of credible applicants not being recognised as procedures are sped up.
“It’s definitely terrifying to be in the system at the moment with the EU Migration Pact hanging over our heads,” Ms Russell said. “What they are trying to implement with this pact, I believe it is completely impossible for them to do that in a humane way.”
Fellow demonstrator and ADPI member Leanke Nikles, who arrived in Ireland in 2023, said she had experienced difficulties with the application process and had been fast-tracked for deportation.
“When you’re going through such traumatic stuff, you don’t remember exact dates and exact things,” she said.
“It’s trauma. Your brain cuts pieces off to block out what you went through. You can remember stuff, but you can’t remember everything in detail because you’re so traumatised by what you’re going through.”
Last month, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan said the number of people coming to Ireland to seek asylum was “too high”. He said more than 80 per cent were refused and that, on appeal, between 60 and 70 per cent were refused.
ADPI said its members deserved the opportunity to live without constant fear of deportation and to demonstrate their societal value.
“We’re asking for a chance now to get out of limbo. To have the chance to contribute to the society that we now call home.”
