Further delay in relocation of Syrian child refugees to Ireland

Plans to resettle Syrian child refugees in Ireland from a Greek migrant camp, originally scheduled for September and again in March have been further delayed.

Following a fire which devastated the Moria migrant camp on the island of Lesbos in September, Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman pledged that 28 unaccompanied children would be relocated to Ireland.

Fourteen of the 28 minors had been identified last year but the European Union then changed the process for deciding who qualified as an unaccompanied minor to be accepted by member states.

This caused delays which were extended even further because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic when much of Europe moved into lockdown and no international travel was permitted.

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The Department of Children said in a statement that “these changes have been successfully implemented at EU level and Ireland has received a list of unaccompanied minors who could potentially come here, following appropriate security checking and preparation”.

In November, a group of 165 Syrian refugees from camps around Beirut in Lebanon were resettled in Ireland.

Restrictions

Two weeks ago, Mr O’Gorman told the Oireachtas committee on children that he hoped social workers from Tusla, the child and family agency, and members of An Garda Síochána would travel the following week to begin the process of bringing 14 unaccompanied minors to Ireland.

He added: “Level 5 has meant that there have been major restrictions on our ability to engage in terms of unaccompanied minors or the wider Irish refugee protection programme.”

Later, the department said that “due to necessary quarantine restrictions, a mission will now take 11 days, which includes travel time, quarantine, and assessments”.

In a statement it said Tusla is ready to receive the 14 children “as soon as they can travel safely”.

However, no definite date was given for the social workers and gardaí to travel to Greece to begin the process of relocation. Pressed for a travel date, the department said in a statement it “is not in a position to provide any further details at this time”.

Social Democrats spokeswoman on children Jennifer Whitmore said "we've been told time and time again that those children are going to be brought over".

The Wicklow TD who has repeatedly raised the issue in the Oireachtas said “the circumstances aren’t good over there and they need to be brought here for safety. It is very disappointing to hear just a week after the Minister said it was happening that there seems to be a delay on it again”.