SLAPPING increasing fines on carriers who bring people to Ireland without valid identification is inhumane when getting into the country is a “matter of life and death”, a Limerick organisation has warned.
The condemnation comes as Justice Minister Helen McEntee this week announced she has increased fines imposed on carriers who do not comply with their obligations to ensure passengers have appropriate travel documentation.
The new law signed by the Minister this past Monday increases the maximum fines on airlines and ferry companies from €3,000 to €5,000.
But the CEO of Doras, the Limerick-based organisation fighting for the rights of migrants and refugees, described the new law as punitive.
“Increasing the fines on carriers will stop some people reaching safety and is a step in the wrong direction for the Government,” John Lannon told the Limerick Post.
“We know from our work in Doras that people regularly need to escape from persecution or war without valid documents, as getting a passport from the government that is persecuting them is impossible.
“Getting to Ireland safely is a matter of life and death for some people, and denying them the right to do this only puts them at greater risk.”
Mr Lannon told this newspaper that while carriers must comply with travel procedures for security and other reasons, “they should not be deterred from allowing people who need to apply for international protection (asylum) to travel”.
“Under the Geneva Convention and our International Protection Act, everyone has the right to apply for protection here, regardless of how they get here or what travel documents they have,” Mr Lannon said.
“When a person who arrives in Ireland wishes to make an application, it must be accepted and assessed. And the individual or family must be allowed to stay in Ireland while the International Protection Office assesses their application.”
The Doras CEO described the measure as an apparent attempt by the Government to reduce the number of people seeking protection in Ireland, saying “measures like this are punitive and unfair, and once again fail to address the underlying problems faced by everyone in the country”.
“We’ve got to keep the numbers of people seeking protection here in perspective. Around 20,000 are expected in 2024. In a country with a population of 5.1 million, in which 136,000 people did the leaving and junior certs this year, it’s a small number”.
The real issue, Mr Lannon said, is the lack of housing for everyone.
“Stopping a small number of people from reaching our shores and applying for asylum is not going to build more houses for the people who need them here or make the houses that are available more affordable,” he hit out.
