Immigration to Ireland - policies, challenges, and solutions *Read OP before posting*

Few thoughts that occurred to me about the Roscrea protests:

I've heard plenty of Govt and ministerial talking heads say that this is a crises and an emergency, but it is not like any of this came on us suddenly. At the outbreak of the war in Ukraine 23 months ago it was projected that we would have an influx of 100k persons and f-all has been done in concrete planning or preparation in the intervening months. Everything is reactionary and grasping at straws and feeling around in the dark for stopgap solutions and of course the property owners and failing hoteliers are chomping at the bit to get their chunk of largess and access to the golden goose without any of the headaches of having to train and retain hospitality staff. Invariably also, a lot of these hoteliers are those that accumulated failing businesses or properties on buying sprees in the past decade and have very little association or loyalty to local communities. Their bottom line is to make their properties pay by any means possible and housing refugees is unfortunately a much more attractive economic reality that tourism/hospitality for many of them.

Again Govt. spokespersons constantly tout the influence and influx of outside agitators presenting in person and on social media. But what about all the spin doctors and govt. ministers and reps from outside the area with open access to the main stream media given a vehicle to consistently talk about what they claim is good for these rural towns and make damning assessments of protests with damn all knowledge or appreciation of what it is like on the ground for the locals in terms of facilities or resources.

It seems the policy has moved to pushing at open doors in the context that the powers that be reason that town's like Roscrea that have already taken in loads of immigrants/refugees is most likely to accept more, so they feel these towns might somehow be an easier touch. So thereby it sends out a poor message to towns that the more you accept the more you are likely to have thrust upon you.

If we take an equation of the imposition or taking over of proportional facilities in small rural towns and the according denial of access to these facilities to the locals, if we take an equivilant imposed on the likes of south Dublin, can you imagine the uproar an representation to local politicians if it was decided to turnover The Aviva Stadium or the RDS or Doheney and Nesbitts or a few of Charlie Chalkes pubs to the accommodation of refugees. Of course that would never happen because it would be argued that they are totally unsuitable or that they are essential facilities for the locals, but a different logic is applied when taking such decisions with regard to rural towns.

Finally, regarding the claims about young adult males and screening. Regardless of whether these unfortunate men have undergone massive levels of screening and therefore pose absolutely no threat whatsoever to any local community, the reality is that there are lots of local communities, many of them very rural, now housing these young males who have nothing to do all day and damn all access to facilities or public transport, so their only option is to hang around the local area in groups. Accordingly a lot of these areas have become virtual no go areas for many locals, who feel hugely intimidated (rightly or wrongly) when confronted by these groups. There was huge outcry two years ago in the wake of the Aishling Murphy tragedy about the understandable fear that young women out walking or running feel when confronted by a single male, can you imagine how much this is multiplied when confronted by a group of foreign males with all the additional complications of language and cultural differences. Locals, especially females are intimidated, full stop.

Also with regard to the general asylum policy and procedures, there seems something awful wrong as reported last week that 70% of asylum seekers are arriving in Ireland without documentation, which begs the question how are they getting on flights or ferries without documentation (or if they are destroying their documentation en route, why?, and also how is so called "vetting" possible without verifiable identification?) when an Irish teenager is refused boarding on a Ryanair flight because he has tear in his passport? There seems to be absolutely no tracking or follow up on deportation orders, those refused asylum just melt into the background and remain. We were told that 8 of the unfortunates found on the container last week dissappeared afterwards and that social services have no responsiblility for them anymore. But surely since they are now asylum seekers the social services at least need to be able to keep track of them (apart entirely on the basis of the trauma they have gone thru in their ordeal) until a decision is made about whether or not they should be allowed remain in Ireland?

They are not claiming asylum though are they so your point is moot. And the bare minimum expectation is that a country has every right to decide who it allows in and who it doesn't, Ireland however wants to hug the world regardless of who comes in.

It's a change that can be done overnight if someone with a pair of balls actually gets in to government to do it. No ID with you? Back on the plane to wherever you came from, no ifs or buts. The same thing that would happen any Irish person who attempted the same stunt in a foreign country.

I’d imagine the footage you saw was extremely selective. Could be wrong but I doubt it.

If a returning Irish emigrant turned up at Dublin having no ID or passport I suspect it would raise a lot of red flags.

But it's the services that's the issue right?

Roscrea has too many people right?

I wouldn't disagree with many of your points here. But it should be noted also that Ireland is one of the most progressive and liberal countries in western Europe....could probably be described as 'centrist' or even 'centre left' in ideology. Anyone who thinks Ireland is going to go the way of Sweden, Finland, Netherlands etc and start electing right wing populist and anti-immigration TDs in significant numbers is probably being very optimistic. It' s just not part of the political DNA here.

People are perhaps reading way too much into Irish opinion poll questions about immigration and deducing that one of the youngest, most well educated and left leaning countries in western Europe has suddenly gone all Trump like and right wing populist / conservative - it's a bit of a mirage.

They go hand in hand, you can't allow a complete unknown in and place them in a community and allow them free movement without knowing who they are and what their history is. It's idiotic in the extreme, and downright dangerous at worst. But that's Rod for you, he doesn't care who gets placed in your locality because obligations something something.

I can see the concern with group of young men hanging around.

To be honest I don't think it would be a concern if these towns had gardai in police stations like they should have anyway.

So lets get out protesting about the lack of Gardai in rural Ireland 👍️

As for the stuff about other cultures and languages, that's where you're starting to sound a bit racist tbh. If people are afraid of 'foreign' men in light of what happened to Aisling Murphy to me that's something they need to figure out for themselves, otherwise where does that leave us? Only white, English speakers can visit Irish towns for fear they frighten someone?

They'd most likely have a passport. The point is they wouldn't be 'vetted'.

They could have been off living like Gary Glitter for decades and move back here to a house beside a primary school.

No-one would know the better and that's been the case for years. Yet we only see calls for 'vetting' now.

What about UK and EU citizens?

And that is what should be in place here. For everyone in the country.

The majority of asylum seekers have documents.

In 2023 3,285 people arrived without, we had 13,277 asylum seekers.

As part of any asylum application, they must produce some documents, even if they arrive without.

Nope. Looneys 👍️

Ok, lets for a minute leave out the foreign part and just leave it at "groups of young males", they are intimidating for young women (and many others) trying to walk or exercise. In recent years since the Me too movement there has been growing indignation and a refusal to accept the leering or wolf whistles or worse that such a hormonally packed group of young males are sometime likely to produce.

Then lets be blatantly racist if that how you want to provocatively term it, and take that these bunch of young men are from Sub Saharan Africa or the Middle East being newly arrived in a foreign country with very little knowledge of the cultural norms and a very different inherited and accepted discrimatory attitude to women and add that to what you are already likely to expect from a slavering bunch of young local white lads and explain to me why a young woman out walking would not feel intimidated. If that makes me racist I'll accept that but it's an undeniable fact.