Immigration and Ireland - MEGATHREAD *Mod Note Added 01/08/25*

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123477996#Comment_123477996

By and large, yes.

look at the independents we elect and tell me I’m wrong.

Boggles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123478123#Comment_123478123

You are angry at hotels for accommodating Ukrainian refugees?

What have you got against people fleeing war?

I don't think I could ever get to a point where I would be angry at a literal refugee, that has absolutely no bearing on my life whatsoever.

I hope I don't anyway.

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123478147#Comment_123478147

Some people just want to be angry

DaithiMa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123478147#Comment_123478147

If that poster ran a business that was wholly reliant on tourist footfall and the only hotel in the locality was converted to a refugee centre and his business was destroyed would his anger be justified?

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123478147#Comment_123478147

It always comes across as bullying and worse to me. Surely if someone wanted it stopped, they'd be campaigning on social media and elsewhere instead of spouting gack on the internet. If nothing else, surely they'd be angry and the state and its organs instead of vulnerable people fleeing violence and slaughter.

Boggles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123478203#Comment_123478203

Epic whataboutery.

The poster clearly doesn't. They are mentally collating hotels that dared to accommodate refugees and he is hoping they rot also they won't be giving them business in the future.

I know, I know.

DaithiMa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123478255#Comment_123478255

Epic whataboutery?

You don't think that's a scenario that could happen?

Boggles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123478287#Comment_123478287

Why are you inventing scenarios and appropriating them to other users?

That user is well able to speak for themselves and I can only speak for myself.

So again I hope I would never get to a point in my life where I am either angry or jealous at a literal refugee.

If that does happen, I'd have to concede my life took a wrong turn somewhere.

SnazzyPig

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123478144#Comment_123478144

How many political parties do we see represented in the Dail?

Tell me, and then tell me we have a parochial electorate.

DaithiMa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123478305#Comment_123478305

I'm not inventing scenarios, it's been happening in the west and south west of the country for the last few years. And I don't agree with that poster's views. I literally said less than an hour ago I was looking forward to staying in the Carna Bay Hotel again.

My point is that it's not all black and white and that some people have the right to be angry at the hotels (not the refugees) if their businesses were negatively affected by the decision to convert to refugee centres.

_Quilombero_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123473609#Comment_123473609

It's absolutely scandalous that the State has paid tens of millions or more to this company. Anyone who has done any research into it will know that. People labelled far right have long since been talking about this - interesting to see RTE finally picking up on it.

I hope that the Public Accounts Committee takes a serious look at this.

Maybe some of the open border brigade can come and defend it. The asylum industry is corrupt beyond belief.

Boggles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123478203#Comment_123478203

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123478332#Comment_123478332

I'm not inventing scenarios

It's literally what you did. 🤷‍♀️

Also if a business is wholly reliant on one hotel, it was never a viable business.

Can you give several examples of this happening please?

DaithiMa

Are you seriously claiming that no businesses have been negatively impacted by the use of hotels in rural areas and tourists hotspots?

https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/businesses-struggling-due-to-hotels-taken-up-by-migrants-may-get-support-package-in-budget/a2075361039.html

Government inventing scenarios too?

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123478320#Comment_123478320

I just told you, you don’t want to listen. Pointless circular discussion.

Boggles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123478460#Comment_123478460

You made a fictional claim about the poster having his business destroyed because it relied on one hotel. You then told me it's happening the past few years all over the South and West.

I asked you for examples.

Unsurprisingly you haven't furnished me with any.

Will I bother asking again?

Ash.J.Williams

The infamous kippure ipas centre has no sewage system they manually empty it daily 😀

DaithiMa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123478668#Comment_123478668

It wasn't a fictional claim. I was trying to outline why some people could justifiably be angry at hotels. I'm not surprised you won't accept the evidence that this strategy has had a negative impact on tourist reliant businesses. Have a good one.

_Quilombero_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123478693#Comment_123478693

It's symbolic of the waste of money on these sites.

How many people live there? I've heard the same about a few sites like Newtownmountkennedy. Must cost a fortune. Some company making a mint off this alone.

We know the cost of these centres is enormous but it would be interesting to get a proper insight into how it breaks down.

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123478040#Comment_123478040

They barely learn English, you think they will learn Irish

prunudo

https://gript.ie/public-accounts-committee-to-probe-e5m-a-day-ipas-costs/

PAC going after ipas, while a welcome development, I find it ironic its Sinn fein bringing this forward given the carry on of their reps outside the gpo on April 26th. Equally bizarre, seeing as John Brady was quite happy to distance himself from people in Newtownmountkennedy when they needed politicians to stand with them against the state and its departments.

Lotus Flower

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123478040#Comment_123478040

Wow. Just wow. You’re really suggesting that foreigners are more adept at the Irish language? What a statement to make and what a way to throw Irish speakers under the bus. Many Irish speakers have fought hard for the Irish language revival. Can you name some of the more adept in Irish foreigners who are doing the same?

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123478924#Comment_123478924

What revival would this be? The Gaelgoirs have been rabbiting on about one for decades, presumably to keep the funding coming in.

Emblematic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123477659#Comment_123477659

It would be socialist if the idea was to raise revenue from the tax but that is not its purpose. Its purpose is the effectively prevent non-EU from buying up property. This kind of punitive tax is more akin to a ban than a revenue raising exercise in order to fund services as would be the case with a socialist measure. Also such a measure to be called socialist would need to be non-discriminatory.

If the likes of Farage in the UK called for a ban or punitive measure such as this Spanish one there would be no hesitation among a certain cohort in calling it a far-right measure, but the same intellectually dishonest people can't bring themselves to condemn much the same thing when it is done in Spain by socialists and, moreover, some actually support it.

Headshot

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123478854#Comment_123478854

A great statement from Carol Nolan on this

https://gript.ie/td-accuses-sf-of-immigration-washing-over-pac-probe/

Independent TD Carol Nolan has accused Sinn Féin of engaging in “immigration washing” to distract from what she called the party’s “pathetic silence” on Ireland’s immigration policy.

In a statement responding to Sinn Féin’s announcement of a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) investigation into IPAS expenditure, the Laois-Offaly TD welcomed the move but launched a scathing attack on the party’s record.

“While I welcome the formal investigation by PAC, let us be under no illusion, particularly with respect to Sinn Féin; this is an exercise in immigration washing that will fail to convince anyone who has sat back and watched that party roll over and have its stomach tickled by the most extreme open borders advocates,” she said.

Nolan – who was formerly a Sinn Féin TD herself – claimed Sinn Féin had alienated internal dissenters and flip-flopped on the issue.

“This is a party that alienated critical voices on this matter from within its own ranks,” she said.

“It has jumped from demonising communities as hotbeds of so-called ‘far-right’ activity to demonstrating a shallow solidarity when it became clear that the tide was changing and that working class communities in particular had had enough.”

She said the PAC probe must go beyond financial scrutiny.

“By all means, let us follow the money,” Nolan said.

“Let us forensically analyse and account for every cent of the Irish peoples money. But more than that, let us send a signal that we are no longer prepared to play host to the parasitic funds and opportunistic profiteers that have jumped on the golden IPAS accommodation bandwagon that has steamrolled through communities to the detriment of us all.”

Nolan also referenced a previous call for a tribunal.

“Last October I clearly stated that there were grounds for the establishment of a Government tribunal to scrutinise where the billions of euros of taxpayers’ money was actually going with regards to accommodation for asylum seekers and immigrants to Ireland,” she said.

“This followed the confirmation that I established from former Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman’s that his department did not know how many times it has awarded contracts to people who didn’t own the properties they offered to house asylum seekers.”

She concluded with a direct attack on Sinn Féin’s approach to the issue.

“Where were the tough boys and girls in Sinn Féin then?” she asked.

“Cowering behind their polling to see which way the wind was blowing I suspect.”

Spot on by Nolan.

You'll be fooling yourself if you think SF will stop the insanity. My new nickname for SF, the "open borders advocates". I couldn't say it any better.

I found this doozy

https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/buses-taxis-international-protection-applicants-35272164?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

More than €12 million has been spent transporting international protection applicants to accommodation centres throughout the country since February 2022, new figures have revealed.

The cost relates to bus and taxi services used to transport asylum seekers from their point of arrival in the country to accommodation centres.

More than 89,500 beneficiaries of temporary protection (BOTPs) have been provided with accommodation by the state during the period.

Almost 24,300 of those are currently in state-supported accommodation, while around 38,000 are in accommodation with hosts in receipt of the Accommodation Recognition Payment.

A total of €4.12 million was spent on transport for BOTPs in 2022 following the activation of the EU Temporary Protection Directive in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The directive places obligations on EU member states regarding services and entitlements that must be provided to those seeking temporary protection.

The transportation bill increased to a peak of €4.75 million during 2023, but fell significantly to €2.43 million last year. A further €770,000 has been spent on buses and taxis for BOTPs to date in 2025.

The figures were published by Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan in response to a parliamentary question from independent TD Carol Nolan this week.

“The Irish State and the Irish people have responded with exceptional support and generosity since 2022 in supporting people seeking temporary protection here from the war in Ukraine,” he said.

A total of 116,040 people have been granted temporary protection in Ireland since 2022, which Mr O’Callaghan said was “an important demonstration” of solidarity with Ukraine in the face of ongoing Russian aggression.

“[BOTPs] hold temporary permission to remain in Ireland, and this permission is renewable on an annual basis as long as the directive remains in force,” he explained.

“Under the directive, those fleeing the war against Ukraine are entitled to apply for temporary protection in any member state and to move from one member state to another.”

The Department of Justice is currently in the process of renewing BOTPs’ permission to remain, requiring applicants to prove that they are currently residing in Ireland.

“It is envisaged that this project will be concluded later this year and, once completed, I will be in a position to outline the total number of BOTPs who are currently resident in the state,” said Mr O’Callaghan.

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has estimated that around 75 percent of those granted temporary protection are still in the country, based on activity associated with their PPS numbers.

They forgot to include the limos….

There's just something so rotten about all of this, this government has pissed away so much money it's not even funny.

I'm a huge supporter of Ukrainian and if I had my way id give them every weapon they want under the sun but our government have handled the Ukrainian temporary protection absolute dreadfully. Imagine paying 220 euro a week at one stage, no wonder Ukrainians flooded the country. When you're paying more than what they receive in Ukraine, what the hell would you expect.

Medical cards, accommodation, lovely car repairs

It's no wonder people are starting to speak up about the unfairness of all of this

_Quilombero_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123478054#Comment_123478054

Interesting language the Dept. Justice uses here: that Igo Cafe manages (present tense) four centres. How many of the closed down centres did Igo manage previously?

It has been reported that Igo Cafe was recently replaced as the management company of the Crooksling centre. Why would they have been replaced? There have also been IPAS sites that were shut down over the past year - had Igo any involvement with these?

Igo cafe may be much more heavily involved in IPAS than the Dept. Justice have claimed here.

With PAC getting involved and mainstream media finally changing their tune, this topic is now gaining serious traction and can no longer being shrugged off as some right-wing "Gript" issue. There is much more to come.

RoyalCelt

The Day the war in Ukraine ends every single Ukrainian who is still on social welfare should be sent straight home and all social payments cut. Too many not bothered working and happy to sit on the dole. Plenty contributing from year one and I'd be happy for a few to stay..

But anyone not contributing cannot be allowed enter social housing lists and the like. Now I do think the war won't end soon but it will eventually.

SnazzyPig

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123478320#Comment_123478320

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123478585#Comment_123478585

OK, tell me again;

How many parties do we see represented in the Dail?

Stephen_Maturin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123477659#Comment_123477659

That’s my point, I don’t think it’s far right in the slightest, it’s a comment on the reductive and blinkered view of a certain cohort and within the media that any of these kind of firm measures etc are exclusively the reserve of the “right”

The irony of Denmark’s success in curbing their migration crisis with measures from their centre left government has been pointed out many times - while our spineless lot sat and did nothing, allowed the crisis to continue, lest they be labelled “racist” or “far right” for taking any action

lawred2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123312900#Comment_123312900

Sneering only undermines yourself really

mrslancaster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123478054#Comment_123478054

According to this, that cafe company only became involved with IPAs/Ukrainians from Aug 2022 and received €46m up to the end of Sep 2024, so it would be even higher if 2025 was included.

https://gript.ie/the-rags-to-riches-tale-of-a-sallynoggin-cupcake-cafes-ride-to-asylum-millionaires/

The financial information to Dec 24 from RoG’s department could be verified from published data for anyone interested, just time consuming to aggregate monthly figures. Can’t see any quarterly data for 2025 published by the DoJ.