Immigration rhetoric is a tightrope for Government

The Government is walking an economic tightrope and voters will not thank it if Ireland cannot find the people to deliver the services and infrastructure being loudly demanded, writes Professor Theresa Reidy

A mother with her five-month-old baby and six-year-old son is escorted from the security area onto a Garda vehicle during Operation Trench. Immigration rarely features prominently at elections in Ireland but it was high up the agenda at the June 2024 local and European elections, and we can also see some hardening of attitudes in post-election surveys from general elections.  Picture: Chani Anderson

In a peculiar turn of events, the Government put immigration on the political agenda over the last few weeks. It’s a topic avoided by most governments and even some opposition parties. 

First, it was Simon Harris who made remarks about the level of migration into the state being too high. Then, Paschal Donohoe made a positive case for the economic and cultural benefits of immigration while also carefully mentioning public consent. Finally, Jim O’Callaghan joined the conversation with a series of policy papers presented at Cabinet that included changes to restrict family unification for migrants and a longer eligibility period for becoming an Irish citizen.