Ireland backs off threats to deploy police at NI border
Dublin has backed off threats to deploy police at the border with Northern Ireland amid the bitter row over migrants.
Taoiseach Simon Harris insisted ‘of course there won’t be’ police checkpoints on the border after Rishi Sunak demanded ‘urgent clarification’.
The Republic had raised alarm by saying 100 Garda officers would be moved to ‘immigration enforcement’ duties.
The move came as Irish ministers complained that large numbers have been crossing the border from Northern Ireland, driven by fears they face deportation to Rwanda.
A tent city of asylum seekers has appeared in Dublin, which the authorities acted to dismantle yesterday.
Dublin has pledged to pass emergency legislation to deem the UK as a ‘safe country’ for the return of migrants – but Mr Sunak is adamant none will be accepted unless France agrees to take Channel boat arrivals back.
A tent city of asylum seekers has appeared in Dublin, which the authorities acted to dismantle yesterday
Rishi Sunak (pictured canvassing for local elections today) has warned Ireland that both countries have made ‘commitments to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland’
Taoiseach Simon Harris insisted ‘of course won’t be’ police checkpoints on the border after Rishi Sunak demanded ‘urgent clarification’
Unionist MP Carla Lockhart used PMQs yesterday to accuse the Irish government of ‘hypocrisy’ for asking police to patrol the border for asylum-seekers despite having fought against checks in post-Brexit trade talks.
Mr Sunak replied: ‘The House will be aware that we have made commitments to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland. The hon. Lady makes a very important point that the Irish Government must uphold their promises, too. We cannot have cherry-picking of important international agreements.’
The PM added: ‘It is no surprise that our robust approach to illegal migration is providing a deterrent, but the answer is not to send police to villages in Donegal but to work with us in partnership to strengthen our external borders all around the common travel area that we share.’
He also repeated his insistence that the United Kingdom ‘has no legal obligation to accept returns of illegal migrants from Ireland’.
Mr Harris later said there ‘of course won’t be’ police checkpoints on the border.
He insisted he was ‘not getting involved in British politics’ but went on: ‘I very much welcome the British Prime Minister’s comments in relation to the importance of countries upholding agreements.
‘We’ll uphold the agreement we have with Britain under the common travel area, the standard operating procedure that we have in place.
‘I also welcome the comments of the Northern Ireland Secretary of State, where he referred to the importance of the two countries working together to protect the common travel area from abuses.’
Mr Harris added that a total of 268 people had been moved by Gardai, council staff and health workers, from the encampment in Mount Street to state-provided accommodation including a hotel and ‘robust’ tents elsewhere.
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris was said to have had a ‘constructive phone call’ about illegal migration with Irish deputy premier Micheal Martin.
Migrants boarding a boat bound for the UK from France last week
The UK government said: ‘The Tanaiste confirmed that there will be no deployment of officers from An Garda Siochana (the Irish police) to the Northern Ireland/Ireland border and that the Irish Government shared a steadfast commitment to securing the external border of the Common Travel Area.’
Both governments have acknowledged the existence of an ‘operational agreement’ which provides for the reciprocal return of asylum seekers between the UK and Ireland, but Downing Street has said it contains no legal obligations to accept them.
The PM said he was ‘not interested’ in a returns deal if the European Union did not allow the UK to send back asylum seekers who had crossed the English Channel from France.
In a marginal softening of language, the UK statement said: ‘The Secretary of State reiterated that the UK will not accept any readmissions or returns arrangements that are not in our interest.’
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