Is Ireland to replace its Emigrants with Immigrants?

conorhal wrote: »

The question isn't how many generations will it take for them to become Irish but rather, how many generations will it take before Ireland is no longer Irish?
...............?

Grayson wrote: »

It's strange how people who are otherwise charitable can have a double think on issues like this. I was discussing the migrants with my family and they were against us taking them.

Every year my family puts candles in every window of the house on christmas eve. It's supposed to be a welcome for any travellers/homeless people who are wandering with no place to stay. So that unlike Mary and Joseph they will not be turned away everywhere and will have somewhere to stay.

That's what this is. These people need help. What kind of people would we be if we said no.

500 people is nothing. It's hardly compared with barbarian hoards crossing the Rhine or the Rubicon for that matter. We can afford 500. We couldn't afford 500,000 or even 50,000.

(The Rubicon is a false analogy. It refers to Roman troops crossing the Rubicon. The legions were never allowed in Rome itself. They always had to stay on the other side of the Rubicon This was to prevent a general from taking over Rome with his troops. Caesar crossed the Rubicon with his troops when he took over Rome)

cronin_j wrote: »

What about the homeless in the country?? True they probably are not in mortal danger like those crossing the Med, but these people need our help too..

I have no issue with 500, but I think this is just the beginning. I lived in london, ive seen first hand what happens, integration seems to to be a problem.

We are giving money hand over fist to keep our own citizens in this country. We are paying for a warship that could be keeping our territorial waters safe. They should be towed back to Africa every time to be honest. Let them apply to be a member of our state when they can prove they have something to give and contribute.

MathDebater wrote: »

'Detention centres' that people can leave at any time they so wish. Good one. The state isn't holding them there against their will. The people in the asylum centres have received a decision within six months of lodging their asylum claim. Problem for them is, it's not one that they are happy with so they enter the appeals process. The vast majority of them are bogus. 800 residents are currently fighting their deportation orders in the High Court. Bit rich of them then to complain that they are so long in the system.

Ireland’s provisions for asylum seekers have also come under considerable scrutiny. In its 2011 submission to the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Period Review, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) remarked that despite a diminishing number of people seeking asylum in the country, Ireland’s refugee recognition rate was unusually low. According to the report, “In 2010, the total number of new applications for refugee status amounted to 1,939, which is a significant reduction compared to previous years. The authorities recognized 160 asylum-seekers as refugees and granted subsidiary protection status to two persons in 2010. The recognition rate is particularly low, when compared to other EU member States” (UNHCR 2011).

More recently, in August 2013, the High Court of Northern Ireland ruled that UK immigration authorities could not return a Sudanese family to the Republic of Ireland under Dublin II because the conditions of republic’s “Direct Provision” asylum accommodation system were insufficient to guarantee the best interest of the children. Commenting on the case, the head of the Irish Refugee Council (IRC) stated: “This decision is a sad, but accurate, reflection of a system that is failing to protect the best interests of children. The reality is that asylum seekers can live independent lives in Northern Ireland, while just a few miles over the border they are forced to live in a state of institutionalised poverty. Direct Provision simply is not suitable for families and vulnerable people” (IRC 2013).

During their stay, which can last several months, asylum seekers are not allowed to work; instead, the Irish government directly provides for their basic needs, which according to one report “means bed and board in hostels and a weekly payment of €19.10 per adult and €9.60 per child” (Thornton 2013a).

Ireland is notable for its very low refugee recognition rate, which is the lowest in Europe. It has a 1.5 percent acceptance at first instance and 6 percent on appeal. The European Union has an overall rate of 27 percent (Anti Deportation Ireland, 2012).

The low acceptance rate in Ireland has led many observers to question whether there is a “culture of disbelief” amongst authorities in the country (Irish Refugee Council 2012).

Asylum seekers can be detained under orders of a District Judge for consecutive 21-day “committals,” until their application has been decided. There is no limit to the number of committals, which means asylum seekers can potentially be detained indefinitely (Refugee Act 1996, as amended by the 2003 Immigration Act).

Unauthorized non-nationals are to be detained for a period not exceeding 56 days. However, if they contest removal orders or appeal decisions on their initial challenges, the period of time during which those legal processes are on-going are not counted as part of the eight-week detention limit (Immigration Act 2003, Section 5.2).