Ireland is not 'rolling out the red carpet' for asylum seekers, says Leo Varadkar

The Taoiseach said it is a myth to suggest Ireland has an open-border policy adding that people seeking asylum in the State are subject to a 'rules-based system'

The Taoiseach admitted that the Government need to do a better job in communicating with the general public on immigration.

Ireland is not “rolling out the red carpet” for asylum seekers arriving into the State, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said.

Mr Varadkar said that it is a myth to suggest Ireland has an open-border policy adding that people seeking asylum in the State are subject to a “rules-based system” of immigration.

“I do want to reassure people that migration in Ireland is rules-based. I hear absolute myths about us somehow having an open borders policy or rolling out the red carpet and welcoming people to come here irregularly,” Mr Varadkar said.

“That is just not the case.” Mr Varadkar was speaking following a suspected arson attack at a hotel in Galway that had been earmarked for use to house asylum seekers.

The blaze itself broke out at the Ross Lake House Hotel in Rosscahill, Co Galway, at around 11.35pm on Saturday. No one is believed to have been inside the building at the time of the fire, with the situation being brought under control by the fire service.

There were plans to house 70 asylum seekers at the site, with local opposition blocking the entrance to the hotel on Saturday. Mr Varadkar admitted that the Government need to do a better job in communicating with the general public on immigration.

“We have a job to do as a Government to communicate with people better on migration. I am concerned about the level of misinformation, quite frankly, that is out there,” Mr Varadkar said.

Asked about comments made by Fianna Fáil councillor Noel Thomas, who said that Ireland should no longer take in international protection applicants as the “inn is full”, Mr Varadkar declined to comment on the individual.

“I don’t want to respond to any individual comments that people would make. All I’ll say is this: We have a rules-based system of migration,” Mr Varadkar said.

He said that immigration from the UK, EU and through work permits constitute the “vast, vast majority” of migration into Ireland.

The number of people who arrived as asylum seekers this year will be lower than last year. It's about 12,000 or 13,000 people.

“It's a fraction of the number than would have been the case, one million Syrians in Germany, for example. I don’t know how many Africans in Italy. It’s a much smaller number than other European countries are experiencing relative to population,” Mr Varadkar said.

However, he added that Ireland has taken significant amounts of Ukrainian refugees.

He said that people arriving into the country are fleeing war, oppression or “abject poverty”.

“There are people out there who somehow believe that it’s possible when hundreds of millions of people are on the move in the world that 10,000 won’t come to Ireland. That’s just not correct,” Mr Varadkar said.

He referenced the UK’s policy of deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda, in order to create a “hostile environment”, not stopping people from arriving into the country.

“There is an incorrect perception that somehow the Government is bringing people into the country. That’s not the case at all. We have a rules-based system. We bring some people in, other people will arrive anyway and we have to manage that as best we can.” 

He highlighted the existing processes for asylum seekers entering the country, saying that they are photographed, fingerprinted and checked against a watch list.