Asylum fingerprints move slammed

ASYLUM SEEKERS rights are being abused under a system whereby records of their fingerprints will be kept on a European database for 10 years, civil liberty groups warned yesterday.

Fingerprinting of asylum seekers was first introduced in November 2000 but a European database, known as Eurodac, comes into operation in Ireland today.

The system will allow immigration gardaí share fingerprinting records with all other EU countries and enable the authorities identify and deport asylum seekers who have already had their cases rejected by other member states.

Gardaí recently secured their first conviction using fingerprinting against an asylum seeker who attempted to apply for asylum twice in Ireland using different names. This clears the way for up to 300 similar cases, up to 20 of which are expected to be heard in the coming weeks.

However, the Irish Refugee Council (IRC) said it was a flagrant abuse of asylum seekers’ rights to keep fingerprint records for 10 years even if an applicant was granted refugee status.

IRC refugee policy officer James Stapelton said: “If a refugee is seen as equal under the law then that equality has to stretch across the full scope of the law and not be overridden by the asylum regulations. “We are concerned that the fingerprinting of asylum seekers only serves to add another stigma to people who will already feel isolated when they arrive.”

He said questions have to be asked as to why records will be kept for so long.

The move was also criticised by Rosanna Flynn of Residents Against Racism. She said: “I think this is nothing other than another attempt by the Government to alienate asylum seekers. It’s getting tougher by the day for them.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said Eurodac would facilitate the detection of multiple applicants and was essential for the application of the Dublin Convention.

But as different EU states have differing criteria for accepting asylum seekers, those fleeing persecution might have a very good reason to seek asylum in one particular country, Mr Stapelton said. The Department of Justice said all fingerprint data would be stored in a central database in Luxembourg for 10 years but access to the records would be blocked if an asylum application was successful. If an applicant becomes an EU citizen the records will be destroyed after a month.