Immigration swoops to continue

Whilst Minister for Justice Michael McDowell has denied there is a new get tough approach to illegal immigrants in Ireland, Garda Commissioner Pat Byrne has confirmed that operations aimed at locating them are going to continue.

McDowell’s comments follow this morning’s raid in which 39 people were arrested at addresses around Dublin city and county.

Minister McDowell said: “It’s not a new get tough policy. There are a series of legislative pieces and resources now put in place. These resources are now being deployed to enforce the law and it is the implementation of a strategy, the foundations of which were laid by my predecessor John O’Donoghue”.

Garda Commissioner Pat Byrne has stressed that those in the country illegally must understand that they will be caught: “We’re enforcing the legislation of this country and these operations are going to continue.

"We’re going to be very proactive in this particular area, we’re going to enforce the law as it stands. Let’s see how it develops over the coming weeks and months”.