EU states are ‘putting politics before people,’ Oireachtas justice committee told

EU states are putting politics before people, the Oireachtas Justice Committee has been told.

Family is also a “key driver” for migrants coming here, TDs and Senators were told.

Migrant rights groups raised serious concerns with the EU Migration Pact with politicians at the committee, with Nick Henderson of the Irish Refugee Council saying it has “various red lights flashing”.

“Politicians at EU level want to be seen to be doing something,” Edel McGinley of Migrant Rights Centre told the committee.

“It tries to harmonise things on an unprecedented scale, and so it’s very political, the Pact. It’s less about people and their rights and more about how the Member State’s respond to this.

“It doesn’t have people and their rights at its core and that’s the fundamental flaw with this.”

She said the “political pact” came out of the migrant crisis in 2015, where people were fleeing war and seeking asylum in the EU.

“We are eroding rights of the people who are coming here seeking safety,” she said.

“We should be looking to enhance people’s rights and not erode them.”

She said she was “very concerned” about gardaí being deployed to help with “immigration enforcement duties” and that this would mean racial profiling of people.

“We’re very concerned that that means profiling along the border and that there’s going to be in ethnic profiling in the state,” she said.

Responding to Social Democrat TD Gary Gannon, Ms McGinley said this will be “very distressing” for people and “very detrimental”.

“We don’t require all Irish people to carry their passports so how are we going identify people on buses and trains crossing the border?”

She said it is “better” to resource and implement the migration systems in place in Ireland already.

That comment was echoed by Mr Henderson, who said existing migration structures should be resourced.

He said there is an “expectation” that the pact will solve very serious challenges but he said existing laws should be implemented.

Migrants are coming to Ireland from a different EU state to be with their families already settled here, according to Fiona Hurley, CEO of Nesc, the Migrant and Refugee Rights Centre.

FF Senator Robbie Gallagher asked why asylum seekers who flee a war-torn state come to EU and then to Ireland.

“What we would hear might be that someone might have a family member in the state so they move to Ireland to be with the family member who is already settled here,” said Ms Hurley.

“Family seems to be a key driver from what we have heard, from people who access our service.”

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