Government urged to allow homeless asylum-seekers to work immediately

Ahead of World Refugee Day next Tuesday, the Movement of Asylum Seekers Ireland (Masi) is calling on the Government to allow those who have been 'sleeping on the streets for months' the right to work so they can support themselves if the Government 'cannot provide the minimum that is required'. Picture: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews.ie

A migrant rights group has called on the Government to allow asylum-seekers without accommodation to work immediately, labelling supports being given as “an insult”.

Ahead of World Refugee Day next Tuesday, the Movement of Asylum Seekers Ireland (Masi) is calling on the Government to allow those who have been “sleeping on the streets for months” the right to work so they can support themselves if the Government “cannot provide the minimum that is required”.

Campaigner Lucky Khambule said those without accommodation cannot be expected to survive on the current supports being given.

Mr Khambule also urged the Government to reconsider the decision to classify certain countries as safe countries of origin, which he described as a “farce”, saying the “overall blanket of safe countries doesn’t mean people are safe” .

Mr Khambule said the fast-tracking of applicants from safe countries of origin was unfair as applicants are often unable to seek legal guidance.

“They need to be given a fair chance in the system because, at this stage, it's meant for them to fail. As we know here, the failure rate on the first interview is high in Ireland,” he said.

Mr Khambule added that failure of the first interview results in further ramifications such as not being able to work, before adding the fast-tracking system is “deliberately thought of to frustrate applicants”.

Mohamed Sahid Camara, an asylum-seeker living with a disability highlighted that international protection applicants with disabilities have no access to disability services, and without assessment are therefore not recognised as such.

He said disabilities were not taken into account when accommodation in direct provision was provided.

“When I was transferred to the Red Cow, I was in a room of six and sharing a bathroom with more than 60 people,” he said, adding the bathroom was slippery and in poor condition.

“If we cannot be assessed upon arrival how can we actually be classified as people with disabilities? If we cannot get proper medical assistance or better accommodation, at least there should be a way we gain access to disability services to ease these problems,” he said.

Fellow campaigner Darragh Adelaide also called on the Government to end the “ludicrous and cruel” treatment of asylum seekers in Ireland while saying it is not the case that there is a refugee crisis, but a housing crisis.

Mr Adelaide said as a wealthy country, the resources were there to address the housing crisis.

“The Government policy is affecting asylum-seekers like this. It's the same Government policy that is leading to Irish people becoming homeless, the same policy that means that nurses and doctors can’t afford to live in our cities that are emigrating abroad, that's making students drop out of college.

“There are resources there to end the housing crisis, to look after refugees, to put disability rights to the forefront so people aren't waiting in the lurch, not able to get the accessibility that they need,” he said.