Madam, - The deaths of 15 African migrants while trying to reach European shores (The Irish Times, July 11th) highlights the desperate plight of people who travel in small boats on dangerous seas, often to die of drowning, hypothermia or dehydration.
While states have the right to control unlawful immigration, Europe-wide efforts to control immigration and the lack of legal avenues for migration from outside Europe prompt people to take greater risks to get to Europe. Immigration deterrence measures do not distinguish economic migrants reasons and those fleeing persecution.
The numbers of people seeking asylum in Ireland has continued to fall in recent years. Deterrence measures, including visa restrictions and carrier sanctions, have contributed to this decline, but at a potentially enormous cost for those fleeing torture and other grave human rights violations.
The Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill 2008 is currently before the Select Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights. The Refugee Information Service (RIS), while welcoming the Government's commitment to the introduction of comprehensive legislation on immigration, residence and protection, has serious concerns over many of the provisions in the Bill. This is an opportunity to set up a fair, open, accountable and quick procedure to examine applications for protection in the State and to ensure that measures taken to control immigration do not prevent those in need of protection from reaching our shores. - Yours, etc,
JOSEPHINE AHERN, Director, Refugee Information Service, Dame Street, Dublin 2.