Brady Opposes EU Migration Pact

Phil the force…

atest press release from John Brady TD, issued on Wednesday, June 19th 2024…

Wicklow Sinn Féin TD John Brady speaking in the Dail outlined his and his party’s opposition to the government motion on the EU Migration Pact which Taoiseach Simon Harris’s government introduced yesterday.

Brady says, “Myself and my colleagues in Sinn Féin clearly outlined our opposition to the government motion for Ireland to sign up to the EU Migration Pact, based on the fact that it is simply not in the best interests of Ireland to do so.

“Since the emergence of the current crisis in immigration the government’s response has been consistently shambolic.

“And their support for the EU migration pact is an attempt to crowbar Ireland’s immigration problems into what they wrongly believe to be a catch all solution.

“They have refused to give regard to the fact that Ireland’s interests are better served through the exercise of our sovereign right to develop our own individual responses to the immigration crisis.

“That the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has confirmed that she did not even consider that Ireland might adopt a more nuanced approach, opting into some areas and opting out of others is unacceptable.

“Ireland’s position is not only both unique and favourable, but absolutely necessary to deal with the complexities that could arise from our common travel area with Britain.

“It allows our state to opt into elements of the Migration Pact that serve Ireland’s interests, and to opt out of those that do not serve our interests.

“This is the approach that I and my Sinn Féin have advocated.

“By remaining outside the majority of the Pact we retain the flexibility and the agility to respond in real time, with responses which are in Ireland’s best interests.

“Ireland requires an immigration system which is fair, efficient, and enforced.

“A number of human rights concerns have already been raised about the Pact. Around the potential for the detention of refugees, for inadequate assessments, and the welfare of vulnerable asylum seekers.

“I believe that these concerns are shared by large numbers of Irish people who would like to see Ireland play a stronger role within the international community in working to address the underlying issues which are driving migration.

“Ireland must regain its international voice. It must use the international moral standing of the Irish nation to demand that the international community gets real in addressing ongoing conflict, inequality, and impacts of climate change that are blighting large parts of the globe.

“Our history of neutrality, our history and record of struggle against colonial occupation gives Ireland a unique credibility among nations when it comes to speaking on these issues.

“By opting into the Pact, Ireland will be bound to them, and failure to abide by them can lead to significant daily fines being imposed on the state.

“Sinn Féin does however support those measures that make sense. We support the Asylum Migration Management Regulation. Which would allow Ireland to return individuals who make asylum applications here to the first country where they have made a claim for international protection.

“We believe that it is in our interests to be able to access the fingerprint database. Which would allow the state to ensure that it has more information on those who enter Ireland. This will aid vetting processes. It will help in tackling child trafficking, conduct checks, and where it is appropriate to return asylum seekers. The Eurodac regulation involves a database of the fingerprints of all asylum seekers who have registered in an EU Member or associated states.

“The failure of this government to introduce a fair, efficient and enforced immigration system has impacted on the social fabric of many communities across the state.

“The government’s failure to enforce its own rules have allowed the numbers to continue to rise at an unmanageable rate. In 2019 there were 4,781 international protection applications. By 2023, this had risen to 13,276. And this year it appears at this stage that the figures could potentially surpass 20,000.

“Yet, asylum applicants endure an average waiting time of just under 19 months for a decision. This is not an efficient system. It is a system characterised by haphazard enforcement of decisions once they are eventually reached. With little or no follow-up, with a dependency on failed applicants leaving the state voluntarily.

“The absence of oversight or verification is ridiculous. Over an 11-year period, where FF and FG were either in government or providing active support, some 10,622 deportation orders were issued. Only 1,948 of these orders were enforced, equal to a figure of 18%. In 2022, 948 deportation orders were issued. With only 52 of these orders being acted upon. In 2023 80 deportation orders were enforced, out of a total of 734 which were signed.

“The single most damaging and shambolic aspect of the government’s failed immigration strategy has been its failure to communicate and consult with local communities. Most damaging of all is how the government has allowed the communications gap to be filled with lies, hate and prejudice. Sky News have revealed that 56% of the online content in relation to one particular protest originated in the US, 10% in Britain and 20% here in Ireland.

“The responsibility for this lies firmly at the door of the government.

“Communities require the government to be honest with them about what is occurring in their midst. Instead, what has happened is that the government has straight out lied to communities, leading to anger and resentment on the ground.

“We have the means to exercise our sovereignty to act in the best interests of our own state, developing our own solutions to the unique character of the problems here.

“By ceding sovereignty to the EU on the issue of migration the government is moving to undermine the capacity of the state to effectively address this issue.”