Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said he accepts there is growing concern among the wider population about migration issues in Ireland and in Europe but said there were “no easy answers” to deal with the challenge.
He predicted that migration would be a “very dominant issue” within the European Union in 2024.
In a round-table media interview to coincide with the end of Oireachtas autumn term, the Fianna Fáil leader suggested the more than fourfold increase in asylum seekers between 2019 and 2023, where the numbers rose from 3,500 per year to 15,000 per year, was a pattern that would continue into the immediate future.
“It is very much a function of the international and the global situation that we’re in,” said Mr Martin, who is Minister for Foreign Affairs.
“It is very, very challenging in such a short space of time, when so many people are having to flee situations as they have had to do in the last two years in particular.
“There are no easy answers to this. I do accept the point that there are growing concerns. People are worried about capacity and so on.
“But we have to be very clear. Fundamental principles and the philosophy. Nobody can take the law into their own hands.
“Blockading is wrong. Physically destroying buildings is a crime. We need as a society to maintain our cohesion and balance.”
He said it was the role of government to communicate those basic principles to the public and continue to engage with people about the broader questions of migration.
“Other countries have made political promises and declarations which, when you analyse them in the cold light of day, have not been successful,” he said, adding that Irish policy would require constant work.
Turning to the migration issue in Ireland, Mr Martin said the State had tightened up checks at airports and was also addressing the issue of people getting rid of, or destroying, documentation upon arrival.
“Recently we have seen more [IP applicants] coming through from the UK side with the changes in their Rwandan policy.” He said it was happening in Europe and in the United States where migrants from Texas were being bussed to New York to find sanctuary.
“So this is not a unique Irish experiences. It is part of a global phenomenon. When you meet authorities in Egypt and the Middle East and Africa you get a different perspective.
“In 2024 It will be a very dominant issue within the European Union.”
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Find The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Our In The News podcast is now published daily – Find the latest episode here
