Taoiseach backs controversial proposals to crack down on migration

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar 'We also need to be more firm with people who try to come to Ireland illegally as economic migrants when we have a work permit system that can be used. Picture: Eamonn Farrell/© RollingNews.ie

The Taoiseach has backed controversial plans to crack down on migration but insisted the proposals put forward by his grouping in Europe were not the same as the UK’s Rwanda policy.

The European People’s Party (EPP), of which Fine Gael is a member, is pushing for a series of deals with non-EU countries that would see irregular migrants sent for asylum processing in “safe” third countries.

The policy, contained in the EPP's final manifesto draft ahead of European elections, has been seen as a move to claw back political ground being lost to the far-right across Europe.

It is being described as similar to the UK-devised Rwanda model which sees some asylum seekers arriving in the UK being sent to Rwanda to have their claims processed there.

When asked about the controversial policy, the Taoiseach said he did not think “deport” was the correct term to use regarding the floated plan.

Leo Varadkar said: “What is contained in the EU asylum pact, which Ireland has signed up to, is the possibility that asylum seekers could be processed in a third country.

"What we're saying very strictly — and we've been part of making sure this language was included in the manifesto — is that anything that's done has to be in line with Geneva Conventions and also the European Convention on Human Rights.

So it's not the European version of what the UK is proposing in Rwanda in my view, it'd be something very different.

“But for example, we know Italy has made an agreement recently with Albania that people seeking asylum could be processed there. And we have an EU arrangement with Tunisia which I'm not a huge fan of, but it's more in that space."

Fine Gael MEPs Frances Fitzgerald, Sean Kelly and Deirdre Clune are also supportive of the proposal.

The Taoiseach denied suggestions the EPP’s policy could be feeding into the far-right agenda.

He said people move to different countries for different reasons, the vast majority for family or personal reasons or job opportunities.

He said: “And so legally, I think we do need to make a distinction between people who come to Europe and come to Ireland legally and we need to be fair to them. 

"We also need to be more firm with people who try to come to Ireland illegally as economic migrants when we have a work permit system that can be used."