Department criticised over asylum-seekers' ordeal

Opposition TDs and refugee groups have criticised the Department of Justice after thousands of asylum-seekers were forced to queue for hours in driving rain at the weekend to renew their identity cards. The Cities Anti-Racism Project (CARP) accused the Department of humiliating the asylum-seekers by making them wait for an average of four hours outside its headquarters in St Stephen's Green. Eyewitnesses say some people dropped out of the queue when their children became ill and at least one woman fainted.

"I spent one hour there, under an umbrella, and I was frozen. These people were there all day, and had no protection from the elements," said Mr Gary Quinn of CARP. "When the children sought shelter in a driveway, they were moved by the gardai. There were scuffles over queue-jumping, and one woman collapsed from exhaustion."

But a Department spokesman said it "could not be blamed for the weather" on Saturday. Given the scale of the operation, it was not possible to carry out the process during normal office hours.

Mr Quinn said the queue epitomised the Department's lack of regard for asylum-seekers. "If these were Irish people, it would have found a better way. It goes along with the tough stance on asylum-seekers the authorities are adopting these days."

Up to 2,000 asylum-seekers, mostly from central Africa and eastern Europe, were in the queue. A similar number queued up the previous Saturday, when the weather was better.

According to the Department spokesman, the process of updating identity cards is now complete. The exercise was part of a "tightening up of procedures", he explained.

All asylum-seekers have had the validity of their identity cards extended. For most the extension is six months, although the period varies depending on how far advanced their application for asylum is. Asylum-seekers need the cards to avail of welfare benefits such as supplementary welfare allowance and rent supplement.

Ms Nadette Foley, director of the Irish Refugee Council, said asylum-seekers had contacted her to say they felt "completely humiliated" by the experience: "There were tourists passing by taking pictures of them." One woman dropped out after three hours because her children were ill and she decided to take them home.

Ms Foley asked why the Department could not have found an indoor hall to use for the registration procedure. The procedure also put asylum-seekers at risk, she said. This was because they could be clearly identified, in contravention of the Refugee Act which prohibits this.

She also pointed out that under the Government's Strategic Management Initiative for the Civil Service, all Departments have to submit customer-care plans by next month. "It behoves the Department of Justice to treat its clients as customers and to deal with them in a dignified manner."

Ms Liz McManus of Democratic Left said the reason for the queues was that the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, was doing nothing about the refugee issue. The Government seemed to have one law for rich people looking for Irish passports, and another for poor asylum-seekers.

"We expect better treatment for our emigrants when they go the US, but we're unable to cope properly with immigrants at home," she said.

The Labour TD, Mr Pat Upton, said asylum-seekers were entitled to the same courtesies and treatment as anyone else. They had not been treated properly. He asked why the Department could not have staggered the registration of asylum-seekers over a longer period.