Enforcement of immigrant bill an issue, warns group

THE Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI) has cautiously welcomed the publication of a Government bill streamlining the asylum seeking process, but warned more consideration is needed of how the legislation will be enforced.

The new Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill, published this week, will see all non-EU nationals who live and work in Ireland having to carry residence permits containing biometric data at all times.

These will include personal data, such as a finger print or iris scan, contained in a computer chip on the card.

Justice Minister Michael McDowell has said the overhaul of immigration laws is aimed at streamlining the system and providing asylum seekers with a speedier decision on whether they can stay in the country.

“Reform of existing legislation is long overdue and urgently required,” said Catherine Cosgrove, acting chief executive of the ICI.

“The existing legal framework and administrative structure, characterised by inefficiency and a total lack of transparency, is not capable of dealing with the realities of immigration in modern Irish society.”

However, she said media coverage of the announcement had highlighted particular features of the proposed reforms, including biometric identity cards, criminal offence, and summary removal of migrants in certain situations. The ICI said it is concerned that these reports are likely to instil wide-spread fears in the migrant population.

“The forthcoming legislation is likely to impact significantly on the lives of migrants living in Ireland. The ICI will be carefully studying the proposed reforms that the Government intends to introduce.

“An initial assessment indicates that there has been insufficient consideration given to how the legislation will be enforced and whether there are adequate protections to ensure that the rights of the migrant are protected, having regard to existing constitutional and other legal rights,” the ICI said.

However, ICI welcomed some improvements, including the introduction of a system of complimentary protection and a statutory right to long-term residence.