Deportations to ease pressure on system 'a big worry' for refugees

Lucky Khambule, of the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland, said: “There was a two-tier approach where people from other countries were left behind, and efforts were made to ensure those from Ukraine were looked after.” Photo: Niall Carson / PA

The possibility of deportations being done to help free up accommodation spaces for new arrivals into Ireland from areas of conflict is a big concern for those already here.

That is according to Lucky Khambule, of MASI (Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland), who also said that the fact that Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion did not have to enter direct provision when arriving in Ireland has been one factor in why Ireland now has a crisis in accommodating people seeking refuge here.

He said people are “freaking out” that deportations could be used to lessen pressure on the system here.

He said: “It is a big worry. I know people who are in Citywest at the moment. It is like a place where people are waiting for a bus or a train – there is chaos around the place and the numbers are high.” 

He said, however, that the signs were there as early as last October that Ireland could end up at crisis point because there had been no major numbers arriving in since the Covid pandemic got underway in 2022.

What's your view on this issue?

You can tell us here

He said that Ireland is reactionary in dealing with the arrival of people seeking international protection, instead of planning ahead. Mr Khambule warned that people will end up sleeping on the streets because they will have nowhere else to go.

He said that when the war broke out in Ukraine, there should have been an equality in how the Irish State dealt with arrivals from Ukraine and those arriving from other parts of the world.

He continued: 

There was a two-tier approach where people from other countries were left behind, and efforts were made to ensure those from Ukraine were looked after.

Accommodation currently being provided to Ukrainians in student accommodation across the country is “on a time-limited basis only,” according to the Department of Further Education.

For example, there are currently 90 Ukrainians staying in UCC campus accommodation. They are scheduled to leave on August 26.

A spokesman for the Department of Further Education said it understands that as of July 1, Minister Roderic O'Gorman's Department has contracted over 4,900 beds in student accommodation, with some of this accommodation being provided by Higher Education Institutions and some by private providers.

He added: “It is a matter for individual accommodation providers whether or not they contract with Minister O'Gorman's Department for provision of such services and for the duration of any such contracts. Furthermore, it is our understanding that student accommodation owned by Higher Education Institutions that is being provided to persons fleeing the war in Ukraine is being provided on a time-limited basis only and that such accommodation will be made available for primary student use ahead of the forthcoming academic year.” 

Anatoliy Prymakov of the Ukrainian Action group said secure accommodation is very important for people arriving here from Ukraine because they want to be able to work, and send their children to school, but cannot do so if they do not have some form of permanent accommodation.

He said the organisation has carried out a survey of 2,200 who have arrived in Ireland from Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February. 75% of those responded that they want to participate in the economy in Ireland by working but he pointed out: “Obviously people cannot get a job unless they know where they are going to be living.” 

He warned that Ireland needs to be planning ahead to accommodate those seeking protection for the next number of years because they will not be able to return home immediately, no matter when the conflict ends.

He said: “There have been large swathes of territory destroyed and they will be uninhabitable for a number of years – even if the war stops tomorrow.”