The threat of deportation to Rwanda is causing migrants to head to Ireland instead of the UK, Ireland’s deputy prime minister has claimed.
Rwanda’s bill, which will allow asylum seekers who “illegally enter the UK” to be sent to the Central African nation, regardless of the outcome of their application, It was approved on Tuesdaydespite human rights concerns.
Micheal Martin told The Daily Telegraph that politics was already affecting Ireland as people were “afraid” to stay in the UK.
The former Taoiseach said: “Maybe that’s the impact it was designed to have.”
Martin, who is also Ireland’s foreign secretary, said asylum seekers were seeking “to gain refuge here and within the European Union rather than the prospect of being deported to Rwanda”.
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His words follow those of Justice Minister Helen McEntee, who told a scrutiny committee in the Irish Parliament earlier this week that migrants and refugees were crossing the border into Northern Ireland.
McEntee said “more than 80%” of people seeking asylum in Ireland entered the country through Northern Ireland, a border crossing that is open as guaranteed by the Brexit treaty between the United Kingdom and the EU.
It comes amid growing tension over immigration levels in Ireland, which is grappling with a housing crisis that has affected its own people as well as asylum seekers.
Overnight, six people were arrested during a protest at a site intended to house asylum seekers in Newtownmountkennedy, Co Wicklow.
Gardai said officers were attacked after workers were brought to the site, suffering “verbal and physical abuse throughout the day, leading to stones and other missiles being thrown this evening”.
Bonfires were lit, an ax was found, and officers were “forced to defend themselves” with incapacitating spray, helmets, and shields.
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Three patrol cars were also damaged.
Irish broadcaster RTE said protesters accused gardaí of using unnecessary force and intimidating and aggressive tactics against a legitimate and peaceful protest.
According to RTE, there have been protests for the past six weeks at the site, known as Trudder House or River Lodge.
A site for 20 eight-person tents housing asylum seekers is reportedly being considered, but some locals have said it is not suitable and the village’s resources are already stretched thin.
McEntee said there is “a lot of misinformation about migration right now.”
She tweeted on Thursday night to promote the EU Migration and Asylum Pact, which she described as “a real game changer” and “something we must opt for.”