FF’s Blaney criticises Europe running mate Barry Cowen over call for Border migration checks

A Fianna Fáil candidate in the European elections has sharply criticised comments made by a party colleague running in the same constituency who called for random spot checks on the Border with Northern Ireland for illegal immigrants.

In a direct criticism of Offaly TD Barry Cowen, the Donegal senator Niall Blaney has said the comments were “ill-judged” and he was “angered” a Dáil deputy would suggest that, in the wake of the Belfast Agreement, “this in only a problem on one side of the Border”.

Senator Blaney and Mr Cowen are both Fianna Fáil candidates for the Midlands North West constituency. The Mayo senator Lisa Chambers is also a candidate.

In an interview with The Irish Times, Mr Cowen called for random spot checks on the Border, expedited decisions around adding extra safe countries of origin and increased deportations.

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He said there should be spot checks by gardaí on the Border to detect illegal immigrants, saying “if there is a fear of being caught, the numbers will decrease”.

In a statement on Friday morning, Mr Blaney said people everywhere on the island of Ireland were frustrated by the issue. He said that focusing on the Border between North and South, was “not the way to go”.

“We have fought long and hard to get rid of Border controls on this island,” he said.

“This is a European problem and one that we should seek to handle in that wider context ... The continuous talk about tents in Dublin is only a small part of our migrant issues. Everything does not revolve around Dublin,” he said.

Mr Cowen said on Friday the Donegal senator was getting “the wrong end of the stick”. He said specialist Garda immigration officers were empowered to carry out spot checks not only on the Border but all over the country but that the unit was under-resourced. He said he had not been homing in on the Border in his comments.

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