1stStudio Siberian Mouse Masha And Veronika Babko Hard Slideshow AvSinn Féin has criticised Taoiseach Leo Varadkar for reacting to the news of the number of migrants returned from the UK by stating that “Eire should not be the problem solver”.
The leader of the opposition party, Mary Lou McDonald, said the remarks were like those of the DUP who had declared that Northern Ireland should not be the setting for a stand-off between the UK and the EU.
Ms McDonald was speaking after Dublin Castle said Thursday’s figures showed a fall in overall numbers of migrants returned to the UK.
The Irish Refugee Council, which campaigns for the rights of migrants in Ireland, said the fall was a welcome sign that the British and Irish approach to migration worked.
“This is a welcome first sign that the British and Irish Governments are proceeding in accordance with their commitment to resettle 100 people in the UK by the end of June,” it said.
Earlier this year, a senior British official warned that Dublin and London may have to be prepared to deal with further migrant numbers through Europe in the near future.
The British government had outlined a plan that would see 7,000 migrants returned from the UK.
The plan involved Dublin, London and Brussels working to resettle 500 migrants in the UK, 200 in Ireland and the remainder spread throughout the EU.
An estimated 33,000 migrants have arrived in the UK this year.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney said the Government was intent on achieving what it had said would be a “neutral” Ireland, one that did not seek migrants.
“We cannot afford to take on any more challenges on migration. We already receive the third highest number of asylum claims per capita in the European Union. In the last year, a net total of just under 500 men, women and children have arrived on the island and 1,000 have been returned. These figures are among the highest of any single EU state.
“The most constructive thing we can do to help governments reduce this impact on Ireland and on their societies is to tackle the situation at the borders of the EU”, he said.
Ms McDonald said the Government was being forced into the position of being the “problem solver” by other countries.
She said the solutions would be to make it easier to resettle refugees in Ireland
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