More asylum seekers have been deported from Ireland in the first half of this year than the total number deported in 2015, new figures reveal.

The Immigrant council of Ireland has said nine refugees found in a container in Wexford over the weekend should be treated with humanity by the Irish authorities.

DESPITE a welcome shift in attitude on the refugee crisis at political level across Europe and in this country, it is demonstrably clear that Ireland is ill-prepared to cope with an influx of refugees from Middle East war zones and Africa seeking asylum here. Were it not for the compassion shown by German chancellor Angela Merkel, who has convinced Germany to take in as many as 800,000 Syrian refugees this year, it is doubtful other EU leaders would have budged.

The Irish Refugee Council has hit out at planned legislation for dealing with asylum seekers as being more concerned with quick decisions leading to deportation, as it is with identifying refugees who need protection.

The UK government’s refusal to support future search and rescue missions to save desperate immigrants trying to reach Europe has been condemned by campaigners.

Police have arrested a second man in connection with an investigation into the death of an immigrant found in a container at Tilbury Docks.

Ireland’s high rate of asylum refusal could be linked to the “highly adversarial process” faced by applicants, according to a report being launched today.

Children’s Minister Frances Fitzgerald has described as “very complex” a recommendation by the special rapporteur on child protection to seek court intervention in certain child welfare cases.

THE Department of Justice has rejected calls from the Irish Refugee Council for a halt to all deportations in the wake of evidence it claims to have that African nationals were mistreated during deportation from the country on a charter flight.

THE Irish Refugee Council (IRC)has warned that the recession could lead to an increase in the number of children being trafficked to Ireland for the sex trade.

IT is hard to comprehend much less accept that in the last nine years 496 children, mostly non-nationals, entrusted to the care of the state have gone missing. The majority, 434, have not been traced.

ITALY is in breach of the EU treaties by returning refugees to Libya without even investigating their claim to asylum, the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) has said.

ITALY is in breach of the EU treaties by returning refugees to Libya without even investigating their claim to asylum, the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) has said.

MEASURES which mean immigration officers may be able to hold foreign nationals for an unlimited time and deport people without notice have been labelled draconian by the Irish Refugee Council.

THE Government is expected to opt out of a whole raft of immigration policy designed to encourage legal migration into Europe while strengthening borders against illegals.

British actress Emma Thompson has launched a desperate legal battle to prevent the deportation of her 'adopted' son.

The Irish Refugee Council is calling on the Government to increase direct-provision payments to asylum seekers.

The Irish Refugee Council is calling for an increase in the weekly allowance given to asylum seekers.

The Norwegian Refugee Council today said it is closing down its humanitarian operations in Darfur because it is impossible to work in the troubled region of Sudan.

The Irish Refugee Council has rejected comments about asylum-seekers made by a senior official at the Department of Justice yesterday.

The Irish Refugee Council has expressed concern about the deportation of dozens of Nigerians early this morning, including some who had entered Ireland as unaccompanied minors.

The Irish Refugee Council has accused the Government of wasting millions of euro by not allowing asylum seekers to work.

The Irish Refugee Council has called for better staff training in state-funded accommodation centres for asylum seekers.

The Irish Refugee Council has expressed concern about the Government’s treatment of asylum-seekers from the 10 countries due to join the EU next month.

The Irish Refugee Council has criticised the gardaí for sending letters to the non-national parents of Irish-born children ordering them to surrender their children’s passports.

More than 2,700 non-national children separated from both parents have been referred to the East Coast Area Health Board in the past five years, according to a new report from the Irish Refugee Council.

The Irish Refugee Council has called for a tighter monitoring system for immigrants at all ports of entry into Ireland.

The Irish Refugee Council is calling for an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the case of a Romanian woman who gave birth on board a ferry having been turned away from Ireland just hours before.

The Irish Refugee Council says new rules to be applied to non-nationals today will confuse the asylum issue further.

The Irish Refugee Council has criticised Government plans to deny rent allowance to asylum seekers.

The Irish Refugee Council has attacked the Government for attempting to remove the issues of asylum and refugee protection from the agenda for the current round of social partnership talks.

The Irish Refugee Council has expressed disappointment at today's Supreme Court decision.

Justice Minister Michael McDowell has announced a €100,000 grant for the Irish Refugee Council to help it meet staffing, accommodation and information technology costs.

The Irish Refugee Council has criticised Justice Minister Michael McDowell over plans to crack down on benefits for asylum seekers.

The Irish Refugee Council have said it is a disgrace that the social welfare payments to asylum seekers will remain at €19.10 a week.

The Irish Refugee Council has warned that approximately 600 unaccompanied minors are in danger because of inadequate supervision.

THE Chinese and other immigrant communities are increasingly reluctant to report attacks because of a lack of confidence in the gardaí, according to the Irish Refugee Council.

THREE quarters of people surveyed believe that asylum seekers should be allowed work while waiting for their applications to be processed.

The Irish Refugee Council has condemned the Government for deporting a 20-year-old Nigerian woman despite an ongoing appeal before the European courts.

The Irish Refugee Council has attacked the Government's policy on immigration.

British police hunting for refugees who went missing in the riot and mass break-out attempt at Yarl’s Wood immigration centre today detained two of the absconders.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair has spoken to South African leader Thabo Mbeki about the deepening crisis in Zimbabwe.

Refugees desperate to get to Britain are paying organised criminals to teach them how to beat Eurotunnel security, a television investigation has claimed.

The Irish Refugee Council has condemned the Government for its procedures in processing asylum applications.