‘Broken’ policy - Sham-marriages crackdown

YESTERDAY’S countrywide swoop by gardaí, leading to the arrest of 11 people allegedly involved in a multimillion-euro marriage-of-convenience scam, will, as Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald put it, send out an unequivocal message to those who abuse this country’s immigration laws that their actions will not be tolerated.

The raid follows the earlier arrest of 30 people who have already been charged.

Behind this con is the age-old attempt by men to get into Europe through the back door by coming here and marrying women from Eastern Europe and Portugal. The nationwide spread of this ongoing investigation can be gauged from the locations of the homes and businesses searched — from Meath to Mayo, Louth to Longford, and premises in Dublin, Kildare, Limerick, and Cork.