A large number of asylum seekers continue to pour into Ireland, with the Minister for Justice revealing that 80% of them are entering illegally from Northern Ireland. Official data shows that the number of asylum applications in the first four months of this year has increased by 80% compared to the same period last year, prompting the government to consider further tightening the refugee system.
Despite strengthened border checks at airports by the government, large groups of asylum seekers are still illegally entering from Northern Ireland. Helen McEntee, the Minister for Justice of Ireland, revealed to the Parliament’s Justice Committee on the 25th that over 80% of those applying for asylum in the country have entered from Northern Ireland in recent months.
Not all of these individuals are illegal immigrants. McEntee mentioned that some arrived in the UK through legal means, applied for asylum there, and then subsequently applied for asylum in Ireland. Others sought asylum in the European Union, then traveled to Ireland through the UK to make another asylum claim.
McEntee stated that she couldn’t determine why a significant number of asylum seekers are coming to Ireland from the UK, while Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Micheál Martin attributed this phenomenon to the UK’s decision to send illegal immigrants to Rwanda.
On April 23, the UK Parliament passed the “Rwandan Security (Asylum and Immigration) Act,” under which some illegal refugees will be relocated to Rwanda to seek asylum in this East African country over 7,200 kilometers away.
The UK government claims that this law mainly targets those who enter through “illegal, dangerous, or unnecessary means.” In recent years, an increasing number of illegal immigrants have hidden in truck compartments or crossed the English Channel on small boats to enter the UK. According to an analysis by the English Epoch Times of data from the UK Home Office, approximately 120,000 people have illegally entered after crossing the English Channel since 2018.
Although no asylum seeker has been actually sent to Rwanda so far, the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs believes that many asylum seekers are “seizing the opportunity” to leave the UK for Ireland.
“I believe the Rwanda effect is having an impact on Ireland,” Martin told reporters during a visit to Jordan, criticizing the Rwanda plan as more of a rhetoric or a political necessity rather than a solution to the refugee crisis.
Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris noted that new legislation may be necessary to address the border issue. He pointed out that the recent trend of asylum seekers entering Ireland from the UK is a recent development. The lack of land border checkpoints between Northern Ireland and the southern Republic of Ireland, which belongs to the UK, makes it difficult to stop illegal immigrants from Northern Ireland.
From January to April 12 this year, the number of new asylum seekers in Ireland increased by 80% compared to the same period last year. According to the latest data released by the Department of Justice, a total of 6,069 people have applied for asylum.
These applicants mainly come from Nigeria, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Somalia, and Afghanistan. Nigerians account for the largest share, roughly a third of the asylum applications in the first three months, similar to the total number of Nigerian applications last year.
Some immigration police officers have warned that if the current trend continues, the number of asylum applications from Nigeria for the whole year could reach 20,000.
McEntee also disclosed that out of 7,300 people whose asylum applications were rejected in Ireland since early 2023, fewer than 100 have been deported, while the remaining individuals are currently in various procedures. In addition, with nearly 100,000 Ukrainian refugees fleeing conflicts, this tiny country of less than six million people has faced many challenging social issues, exacerbated social tensions. Protests have erupted in several small towns where the government has temporarily housed refugees.
On April 27, residents protested outside a factory in the northern suburbs of Dublin, with white signs hanging on power poles reading “Community Concerned about Over 1,000 Male Immigrants Placed Here” and “Irish Lives Matter” to voice their concerns. Protesters told Sky News that this is not about racism, but rather the pressure that a large number of male refugees are putting on the local community, fueled by concerns as parents.