Leo Varadkar appeals to TDs to 'help set out the facts about immigration' 

Taoiseach makes his appeal in advance of Department of Justice briefing of ministers

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told the Dáil he will continue to set out the facts and falsehoods about the State’s migration policy. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has pleaded for help from TDs in the Dáil to set out the facts about the State’s immigration policy. 

On Thursday, officials in the Department of Justice are to update ministers at a Cabinet committee on migration, including on deportations.

At Leaders’ Questions, Independent TD Marian Harkin called for an honest debate on immigration. She raised the death of Ashling Murphy and said women at the time of her death spoke of safety concerns after the primary school teacher was murdered while out exercising.

Ms Harkin said the country listened to statements about Irishmen at that time and she questioned why the Government is not listening to statements from women now when it speaks about single male asylum seekers arriving in their town.

The Taoiseach said that he was disappointed she conflated Ashling’s death with migration, describing it as wrong and “profoundly dangerous". 

Mr Varadkar said the “evil person” who killed Ms Murphy was an EU citizen, had been in the country for 10 years, and had worked, paid taxes, and that was how Jozef Puska acquired his rights to social welfare.

Ms Harkin denied she was conflating the two. Mr Varadkar, who appeared deflated over the discussion, told the Dáil that he will continue to set out the facts and falsehoods about the State’s migration policy and pleaded with TDs, saying: “But I need a bit of help.  I need a bit of help from people in this House.”

Ministers and department officials will meet on Thursday to discuss an update on the State’s migration policy. A total of 13,277 asylum applications were received by the International Protection Office up to the end of 2023, a fall of almost 3% on the same period the previous year.

The Department of Justice is to update Thursday’s meeting about deportations, said two Government sources. Of a total 16.6m passengers processed by immigration at Dublin Airport last year, 3,285 presented without valid travel documents. 

Consideration is also being given to sending more gardaí from the Garda National Immigration Bureau to ‘high-risk’ airports abroad to clamp down on people destroying their travel documentation.

A Garda immigration liaison officer has already been deployed in one high-risk airport since March last year.

A total of 857 deportations were signed last year, including EU and non-EU nationals removed on public safety grounds due to criminality. It is understood 47 such individuals were removed in 2021; 52 in 2022, and 44 last year.

The expectation is that the number of deportation orders made this year will be higher than last year, reflecting the impact of accelerated processing and increased resources.

It is also understood that the Department of Health is looking at expanding the out-of-hours GP service to daytime hours, which would bolster local health services in areas that are under pressure. This has already happened in a number of areas to support Ukrainians and, in some cases, it has involved deploying health staff who speak Ukrainian.

Another option could be to fill gaps around the country with doctors who have come to Ireland through the Non-EU Rural GP Programme.

It is expected that around 250 GPs from South Africa will come to Ireland this year under the scheme.