The Government is to rush through amendments to legislation to give the Garda tough new powers to fast-track the deportation of hundreds of illegal immigrants. The Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, yesterday published amendments to the Illegal Immigrants (Trafficking) Bill, which will allow gardai to detain without warrant the subject of a deportation order.
The strict amendments were criticised last night by Fine Gael and Labour, who accused the Minister of attempting to rush them through the Dail without proper debate.
The amendments, which will force asylum-seekers with a deportation order against them to remain in a particular district and to report to gardai at specified times, will be dealt with today when the legislation goes into report stage. They will also require illegal immigrants to co-operate with gardai to get travel documents, a passport or travel ticket needed for deportation.
A garda or immigration officer who suspects a person against whom a deportation order is in force has destroyed his or her identity documents or intends to avoid removal from the State may arrest that person without warrant.
The Fine Gael Justice spokesman. Mr Jim Higgins, last night described the proposed measures as "draconian". He said it was clear the Minister was intent on introducing the toughest regime in Europe to send out the message that asylum-seekers were not wanted here.
The Labour Party spokesman on justice, Mr Brendan Howlin, said the amendments would attempt to amend in a draconian way the Immigration Act enacted last year. "This is the second time the Illegal Immigrants (Trafficking) Bill has been used to graft on extra legislation. That is a bad way to deal with this issue."
A Garda immigration bureau is also to be set up. Mr O'Donoghue has also given a commitment that all asylum applications would be dealt with within six months.
The Illegal Immigrants (Traffic king) Bill has already been amended at committee stage to reduce from three months to 14 days the period in which an asylum-seeker could seek judicial review of a refusal of refugee status.
Under the Bill, which is scheduled to reach its final stage on Wednesday, any person who organises the entry of illegal immigrants will face an unlimited fine or up to 10 years in prison.
There were 1,036 asylum applications in April compared with 315 in April last year, an increase of 329 per cent, according to Government figures.