According to Taoiseach Simon Harris, legislation is required to “fix” the issue where individuals who have previously been given asylum in the UK seek it in Ireland, reports RTE.
Mr. Harris was questioned over remarks made on Tuesday by Justice Minister Helen McEntee, who informed the Oireachtas Justice Committee that over 80% of asylum seekers in the Republic enter the country through the Northern Ireland land border.
“If you’ve been in the UK, and you’ve had status, why are you coming to Ireland, looking for immigration status? There needs to be a legal mechanism in place and I believe this will require primary legislation to be able to return people to the UK,” Mr Harris said, reports RTE.
He added: “This is all about fairness. Our migration system is about people fleeing persecution. It’s not about a situation where you can be living safely in another country, have status potentially in that country, and then come to our country and seek immigration status. That’s the piece we have to fix,” reports RTE.
The Taoiseach stated that although the porous border presented challenges, it was imperative to safeguard the open border.
He described the amount of persons crossing the border as “a relatively new reality” and noted that it had escalated dramatically in recent months, reports RTE.
Tell us your thoughts in the Facebook post and share this with your friends.