In a bid to address the influx of irregular arrivals through Northern Ireland, Ireland is contemplating sending asylum seekers back to the United Kingdom through emergency legislation.
Justice Minister Helen McEntee revealed plans for this measure during an interview with public broadcaster RTÉ on Sunday, stating, “I’ll have emergency legislation at Cabinet this week to make sure that we can effectively return people to the U.K.”
McEntee further expressed intentions to discuss this matter with British Home Secretary James Cleverly during a meeting scheduled for Monday.
A spokesperson for Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris, in a statement shared with RTÉ, confirmed the assignment given to the justice minister, indicating that proposals to amend existing laws regarding the designation of safe “third countries” and enabling the return of inadmissible International Protection applicants to the U.K. would be brought forth to the Cabinet.
The decision follows assertions by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who suggested that the increasing numbers of asylum seekers in Ireland validated the effectiveness of the Conservatives’ deportation plan to Rwanda as a “deterrent … because people are worried about coming here.”
A significant aspect of the Brexit agreement, which saw the U.K. exit the European Union, was the commitment to maintain an open land border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, devoid of immigration checks.
McEntee highlighted during a parliamentary hearing earlier in the week that over 80 percent of asylum seekers arriving in Ireland do so through Northern Ireland.