Group decries labour mobility pledge

Ireland would be the only English-speaking country committed to full labour mobility throughout an expanded Europe, if the Nice treaty is passed, the Immigration Control Platform (ICP) insists.

The ICP, which decided at its a.g.m. last weekend to oppose the treaty, said that being English speaking is significant, as "English has become the lingua franca of the EU and most immigrants want to go to an English-speaking country".

The organisation rejected what it said was the "reckless action of Brian Cowen [Minister for Foreign Affairs] in committing us to full labour mobility for eastern Europe on accession".

ICP spokeswoman Ms Áine Ní Chonaill said only four countries, Ireland, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden, had made such a commitment. While it did not oppose enlargement, it had "grave worries for the security of what will be the new eastern borders of the EU".

It also called for deportation orders against asylum-seekers "to be enforced speedily and that no distinction be made between family deportees and single deportees".

At its a.g.m. the organisation called for the citizenship issue to be addressed urgently. It also called for Nigeria and Bulgaria to ratify readmission agreements; for the reallocation of public funds, currently being spent on asylum-seeker support, towards meeting Ireland's overseas-aid targets; and for stricter controls, particularly on Chinese immigration.

Ms Ní Chonaill said Chinese immigration was "currently expanding at an extremely fast rate". Asked if she meant the Asian population in general or specifically the Chinese population, Ms Ní Chonaill said it was "the man in the street's perception that they might be Chinese or Malay or whatever the hell", but, she said, "even Bertie Ahern knew about the numbers of people coming out of China".

She referred to recent reports about the number of Asian people working in the retail sector in Dublin. She said: "There is some reason to also be suspicious of the student language school population."

In a statement, the ICP said it was a matter of "deep concern and dismay" that the Minister of State for European Affairs, Mr Roche, "has refused to answer questions put to him by the organisation about the asylum and immigration implications for Ireland of the Nice Treaty".