Immigration authorities were accused of treating asylum-seekers like "sub-humans" last night when it emerged that a heavily pregnant Nigerian woman was put on a ferry to Britain within hours of being discharged from a Dublin hospital. The Irish Anti-Racism Campaign said the woman, who was 28 weeks pregnant, had been subjected to "sub-human" treatment.
The woman travelled from Nigeria via Britain without any documentation. She arrived in Dun Laoghaire early on Friday and told officials her waters had broken. An immigration officer and a garda escorted her to Holles Street maternity hospital in Dublin where doctors examined her. They concluded she did not require hospitalisation
The officials immediately escorted the woman back to Dun Laoghaire where she was put struggling on the ferry to Britain. The Master of Holles Street, Mr Declan Keane, said last night she had not been improperly treated. Doctors would not have allowed her to be taken away if her health was in danger, he said.
The Irish Anti-Racism Campaign criticised immigration officials. Spokeswoman Ms Sorcha Kelly said the woman was entitled to be treated with respect and should not have been "bustled" onto a ferry after leaving hospital. The woman had been subjected to "subhuman" treatment. "It's absolutely appalling that someone - especially a pregnant woman - should be stripped of her dignity in this manner. It's monstrous behaviour," said Ms Kelly.