Migrant rights are not a luxury

AS a country we have fought hard to have civil rights respected. Unfortunately, the new Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill 2110 has many aspects which we fear will lead to breaches of civil and fundamental rights of migrants and their family members who are Irish citizens.

A grave concern with the bill is the provision for the summary removal of migrants and those in need of protection, without notice, fair procedures or access to an independent appeals process. This denies minimum safeguards and could endanger those most in need of protection, including victims of human trafficking.

We believe summary removal is contrary to the jurisprudence of the Supreme Court and ignores recommendations from the UN Human Rights Committee. Costly court challenges will inevitably follow.