FAST TRACKED

Fresh measures to clamp down on economic migrants as two new states on ‘safe countries’ list amid ‘back door’ concerns

At the moment, there are eight countries designated as “safe countries” – including Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and South Africa.

• Adam Higgins

• Published: 22:26, 29 Jan 2024
• Updated: 22:26, 29 Jan 2024

NEW measures to clamp down on economic migrants using our asylum system as a back door into Ireland will be announced tomorrow.

And they will include the addition of two new states to the “safe countries” list.

It is believed the two countries are Algeria and Botswana.

At the moment, there are eight countries designated as “safe countries” – including Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and South Africa.

The Government deems these countries safe because they claim there is generally no persecution of certain groups, torture, inhumane treatment, or conflict there.

People who arrive from these countries have their applications for international protection processed far quicker than other countries and are less likely to succeed in their application to stay in Ireland.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee is concerned that some people coming from safe countries are using our international protection system as “a back door for economic migration”.

In November 2022, the Minister introduced a new fast processing system which sees asylum seekers from safe countries have their application dealt with in less than 90 days.

Figures from the Department of Justice claim that 81 per cent of people who arrived in Ireland from safe countries had their first application for asylum rejected within 65 days.

Some 78 per cent of those who then appealed their decision were also rejected. These people would then be asked to leave the country.

The addition of a country to the list of safe countries also acts as a deterrent to people travelling to Ireland from those countries.

Applications from safe countries have fallen by 38 per cent since November 2022 when the new fast processing system was introduced.

Minister McEntee will tomorrow ask her Government colleagues to sign off on a decision that two more countries will be designated as “safe countries.”

There are a large number of international protection applicants coming from Nigeria, Algeria, Pakistan and Somalia – non of which are currently on the safe list.

Minister McEntee will also bring new proposals to clamp down on people who are coming to Ireland after already securing refugee status in another European country.

Refugees who already got the green light in another EU state will now be entered into an “inadmissibility procedure” and will have their application fast tracked.

If the Cabinet sign off on these proposals, it is expected that they will kick in from Wednesday of this week.

Poll punishment

It comes as Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald addressed claims that her party are being punished in the polls for their stance on immigration.

The latest opinion poll from the Business Post shows that Sinn Fein remains the most popular party in the country but their support has plummeted by four per cent.

Asked if Sinn Fein’s stand on refugees and immigration is turning voters away from her party, Mary Lou McDonald admitted: “It was a bad poll for us.”

She added: “On the issue of immigration, the Government have made a hames of it. There’s no doubt about that.

“People have said to me that we have taken some of the flack for that. That might or might not be the case.

“What I can say is this, for us in Sinn Fein what we want and what needs to be delivered to Irish people is an immigration system that is fair, that is efficient and that is enforced and I think on all three of those scores people have rightly been critical of government.”