Time for a zero refugee policy? - *Read OP for mod warnings and threadbans - updated 11/5/24*

Still waiting to see someone go into detail to show how we can solve the issue of mass immigration/refugees along side the housing crisis Ireland is facing.

I keep looking at the two and they don't seem to add up.

Even if we were to radically invest into infrastructure, it would take months if not years to build enough accommodation for the numbers we are seeing, and for those who are already within Ireland and trying to find a roof over their head.

How do we address these issues, without resorting to either magical thinking, or hate filled rhetoric.

Ireland may not be full (far from it), but the infrastructure leaves a lot to be desired.

Very true, the main thing is getting into Ireland and get yourself into accommodation. You’re guaranteed being able to stay a few years and even if you’re denied asylum after a few years there’s a good chance there’ll be another amnesty.

If not just stay and work in the black market.

But refugees are not accommodated in the same places as the rest of the population. Refugees and asylum seekers are housed in direct provision centres and all types of emergency accommodation locations such as hotels (used and disused), army barracks, disused buildings and schools etc

So, to a large extent, the domestic housing / accommodation crisis and the international refugee crisis are two different subjects and not necessarily linked. Most people caught up in the domestic Irish housing crisis are trying to find suitable houses or apartments in the town or city where they are from and are not competing with refugees for a place to live.

For sure, the Ukrainian situation is very different to the 'normal' refugee situation. For example, all Ukrainian children have immediately been enrolled into Irish schools, so it cannot be denied that there is increased pressure on infrastructure and services as a result of their arrival.

But in many ways, it is a separate discussion to the usual refugee arguments. The Irish government, rightly or wrongly, made an active decision to take in huge numbers of Ukrainian people and it was not really connected to our normal refugee system and set up.

That part is true and in fact this was happening a good decade ago, when we had virtually no refugees or asylum seekers coming to the country.

I know people who were told they would be put behind Ukrainian refugees for social housing despite being on council lists for many years, they even contacted their local TDs and were basically told the same

The fact is our homeless is way down the agenda, priority of the government, they prefer to try to home the incoming to look good with the EU as most want nice EU paying jobs when out of the government with also their big pensions, it would sicken you, pay your taxes, work hard and in the end, no homes, no nursing homes, retirement homes etc.,

Well there you go! Plenty of people taking advantage of the refugees to line their pockets....can hardly blame anyone about houses being given to refugees instead of rented out to full time people, when all they care about is making a few quid.

Well, the housing of anyone isn't any grand gesture by government.

But it should be, people who cannot house themselves should be housed by government. The problem is that they don't do it!

Hi. Here is some FACTUAL, and can easily be verified, reasons why it's time to stop the open door policy.

I teach immigrants. I live in Ballaghaderreen. I teach Algerians, Iranians, Georgian, Ukranian, Nigerian, Kosovan. Men and women, an entire spectrum of work experience.

Last week, another 500 Romani people arrived in the town. Again, zero consultation with anyone. All public services in the town told to basically suck it up and support them.

There are now more asylum seekers than native Ballaghaderreen people ( and I'm including second generation Pakistani families who have been living here for years) currently resident in the town.

With one exception, the Ukrainian folks, All of the new arrivals are searching for work. That's their number one priority.

So, there is now a top-heavy population centre in a small rural town. There is nothing to do here. Teenage A.S. kids hang around the woods and side streets every night, bored. This boredom resulted in the harassment of the local Parish Priest, who had to move back to his home place out of town because he "felt afraid". Local women and some men, do not walk or jog, as they used to, anywhere in the town.

I could go out right now, with a brick, and smash every single window of every parked car, right up to, and including, the Garda Station, and not a thing would happe.

Why?

There are no Gardai in Ballaghaderreen. The station is open for a few hours 1 day a week. And on court day.

The above situation is repeated in countless towns around the country. The locals were not consulted for a specific reason. That was that the politicians knew that there would be pushback from local figures.

There is a train coming down the tracks that politicians and folks on the fringes do not seem to be noticing. ( think about this...I'm very much on the left and I'm a teacher, and even I'm very worried).

All its going to take for this train to crash is one serious incident by any asylum seeker, against any resident Irish person. That will be the straw, I think.

In towns where there is little to no police presence, vigilantes will appear and the results will be catastrophic for all concerned.

Driving a rented Hyundai suv around the town for an hour second day is not going to cut it.

When I asked why more gardai could not be deployed from castlerea, we were told that they were all to busy dealing with major assylum-related issues in Longford!

The whole system is a powderkeg ready to explode.

99% of the asylum seekers that I encounter are genuine, scared, people.

That 1%, though, in every town.

Doesn't take much to overwhelm services. I've seen it happen in Jordan and in Syria.

Placing asylum seekers into rural towns with low Irish populations and little services, without any consideration nor consultation, will prove to be one of this nation's greatest mistakes.

While they may not be housed in the same as the general public, but it isn't just about housing. It is the overall infrastructure, childcare facilities, medical facilities, public transport, etc, etc.

Placing large numbers of people in a place that is remote offers those same people very little chance to integrate and build purpose in their lives. As it is they may be far removed from the cultural norms of Irish/Western Europe, and be alone. Stranding them away at the fringes of society is only going to lead to resentment and radicalisation. All the while the stretched infrastructure has to accommodate more people than it can handle. Waiting times for Hospitals are already bad, ambulances are even worse!

We nneed to reevaluate this situation.

The number of former refugees and those with leave to remain are much higher over 30 years. In recent years the trend has increased . Then take into consideration those who have had children . Eg Most Africans here would be former asylum seekers .

https://enterprise.gov.ie/en/what-we-do/workplace-and-skills/employment-permits/statistics/

This absolutely infuriates me, especially after seeing the video of the violence in Drogheda of people outside their free social housing causing trouble in broad daylight. All of a certain ethnicity let's say.

I guarantee those people haven't worked a day in their lives nor have made any positive contributions to society but have been handed a golden ticket to a free life.

Then we have people like my family, friends and colleagues who did everything right but can't afford to rent any decent in this country.

We are certainly heading for even more trouble in the not too distant future. France II, I can't wait to live like that. Not.

Every town, city and village being turned into a shoitehole!