5% of asylum seekers make applications from prison

OVER 5% of asylum seekers who applied to stay in Ireland last year made their applications from their prison cells.

Latest figures from the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner (ORAC) show that of the 4,323 new applicants last year, 239 were detained in prison before they could make their applications.

The Irish Refugee Council (IRC) expressed concern about the position of imprisoned applicants.

Spokeswoman Heilean Rosenstock-Armie said: “It’s criminalising asylum seekers. It’s putting them in the wrong category.”

Ms Rosenstock-Armie said most imprisoned applicants were detained at points of entry into the country or picked up in the community on suspected immigration offences and were jailed before getting a chance to make their case. She said prisons were not equipped to provide the physical space, time and interpreters needed to assist asylum seekers in making their application and few prison officers or gardaí were trained to help.

“Very often, days can go by before an asylum seeker can make it clear that they want to make an application and more time passes before the arrangements can be made for them to do so.”

According to ORAC’s annual report published yesterday, the number of people applying for asylum fell for a third year running, down 443 on the 2004 figure and less than half the number who applied in 2002 when applicants peaked at 11,634.

In total, 5,682 new and existing applicants had their cases determined last year. Just 455 (8%) were granted asylum while 3,952 (70%) were refused, but a large percentage of refusals were expected to be appealed.

In 191 cases, the applicant withdrew their application, while 644 other applications were deemed to have been withdrawn after the applicants failed to show for interviews or became untraceable. The remaining applicants were referred back to countries where it was ruled they should have originally applied.

Nigeria accounted for the single biggest group of asylum seekers, making up 30% of all applicants, followed by Romania (9%), Somalia (8.5%), Sudan and Iran (both 4.7%). Applicants came in smaller numbers from more than 100 other countries.

One-in-five asylum seekers were children aged 17 or under.

Ms Rosenstock Armie said 4,425 people were turned away at ports and airports last year, of which about 460 were believed to be genuine asylum seekers.