Tánaiste Micheál Martin has stated that Minister for Justice Helen McEntee’s assertion that 80% of asylum seekers entering Ireland are from Northern Ireland is not supported by facts, evidence, or statistics, reports RTE.
He said this in response to Ms. McEntee’s assertion last week that, as a result of recent changes in migratory patterns, “more than 80%” of asylum seekers enter the country from Northern Ireland.
Since then, human rights and refugee NGOs have questioned the statistic.
When questioned about the supporting documentation for the assertion, Mr. Martin stated that it was “clear from the presentation of migrants” that their origins had changed.
Speaking to reporters at the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference, Mr Martin said: “On the 80% and the evidence: Over a while, I think the Department of Justice officials would say – and it’s not statistical, it’s not a database or evidence base – but it is very clear from the presentations of migrants that there’s a change in the nature of where migrants have come from, and that’s the sense and the perspective that [the Department of ] Justice have on this,” reports RTE.
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