NON-nationals who serve prison sentences should be deported on release, detention centres should be built at airports, and asylum seekers should be stripped of medical cards, according to the leader of the Independent Ireland party, TD Michael Collins.
Deputy Collins’ party also believes that anyone seeking permanent residency here should take a six-month course in Irish history and culture and pass an exam in English or Irish, before being granted residency.
The Cork South West TD issued his party’s immigration policy this week, which also included suggestions to impose vat on contracts for hotels accommodating international protection applicants (Ipas) ‘to stop incentivising the damage to tourism’.
‘We must remove the incentives drawing economic migrants to Ireland,’ said the deputy. ‘Otherwise, they will keep coming and for every person we turn around, another will arrive. Ultimately, these are the steps we must take if we are to care for Irish people, legal immigrants, and genuine refugees already present in Ireland.’
He added that Ipas applications should be ‘expedited’ in a defined time frame, and that the State should hold ‘special court sittings to address and deal with these cases and hire 300 new case officers. We will pay these new salaries with money we save by not providing room and board to 30,000+ new arrivals each year.’
But Nasc, which provides advocacy for migrants, said the policy is misinformed, as background checks are already in place and immigrants convicted of a crime can have their permission revoked.
‘It is very worrying that the myth that people applying for visas to come to Ireland do not undergo background checks continues to persist,’ said Nasc chief executive Fiona Hurley. ‘This is already being done as a standard part of the visa application process. It is also important to note that a person who is convicted of a serious crime in Ireland can have their immigration permission denied, revoked or not renewed already.
‘We’d also note that this summer Ireland passed legislation making revocation of citizenship easier – a move which Nasc criticised at the time.’
