Plea issued over fate of immigrants' children

Up to 500 Irish children could be forced to leave the country if their immigrant parents are deported, it was claimed today.

The Children’s Rights Alliance (CRA) urged the Government to assess the impact on children born in Ireland when making decisions about whether to grant their parents residency in the country.

Jillian Van Turnhout, Chief Executive of the CRA, made the call at the launch of ‘All Our Children’, a report on the rights of Irish children whose migrant parents and relatives have been refused leave to remain in Ireland.

“Currently, decisions are being made on an arbitrary, ad hoc basis, and behind closed doors. The system we are proposing allows for greater transparency,” she said.

“Child impact assessment is a fair, objective and organised way to make decisions about the fate of Irish children whose migrant parents have applied for leave to remain in Ireland.

“These children could face deportation from the state with their parents or they could be separated from a parent due to one parent’s application being refused. They may even find themselves left in the care of the state.”

Ms Van Turnhout said child impact assessments would establish how each child might be affected by deportation of a parent, examine the relative safety of their destination country and establish what level of support and Irish consular services was available in that country.

“We are calling upon the office of the Minister for Children, Mr Brian Lenihan TD, to support this model of child impact assessment,” she said.

“It is a comprehensive and transparent checklist, designed to ensure the protection of Irish children’s rights. Above all, the state has a responsibility to protect the equality of all Irish children.”

Geoffrey Shannon, a family law expert and the Irish expert on the Commission on European Family Law, said the current manner of deciding residency cases failed to adhere to the core values of the Irish constitution.

“Both the Irish Constitution and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN CRC) highlight the preservation of family life and the right of the Irish child to enjoy the company of their parents and other family members,” he added.

The report was commissioned by the CADIC Coalition (formerly known as the Coalition Against the Deportation of Irish Children), which consists of human rights organisations, legal aid groups, children’s rights organisations, faith-based migrant support groups and other migrant support organisations.

The CRA is a coalition of 80 non-governmental organisations concerned with the rights and welfare of children in Ireland.