Major operation in Dublin dismantles ’tent city’, removing asylum seekers amidst ongoing UK row

A huge operation has begun in Dublin to move hundreds of asylum seekers who had been sleeping in a large encampment of tents in the city centre.

In recent months, migrants have been sleeping rough beside the city’s International Protection Office on Mount Street as the state struggles to source enough accommodation for people seeking asylum.

A major operation is underway to clear the Dublin streetCredit: RollingNews.ie

The operation is being carried out by the Department of Integration, the Department of Justice, Gardaí, Dublin City Council, the Office of Public Works and the HSECredit: Collins Photos

 

The operation to move the makeshift camp that began early this morning comes amid increasing diplomatic tensions between the UK and Ireland.

The Irish Government has expressed concern about an upsurge of asylum seekers entering the state via the land border from Northern Ireland.

Council workers, some dressed in white overalls, were involved in clean-up efforts to remove the tents and wash down the camp area in and around Mount Street.

Asylum seekers congregated in groups waiting with their luggage as buses and taxis arrived to take them to another site where basic facilities will be offered.

Mount Street was cordoned off during the operation, with a large number of gardai present.

Access was only granted to residents of the street and workers involved in the removal operation.

Health personnel also participated in the multi-agency initiative.

A similar operation to remove tents from the area was undertaken in March, but another makeshift encampment soon built up again.

The Government said the asylum seekers had been moved to international protection facilities at the Citywest hotel in Dublin and at a site at Crooksling in Co Dublin.

A statement outlined details of today’s operation: "A joint operation between the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth; the Department of Justice; An Garda Siochana; Dublin City Council; the Office of Public Works; and the HSE (Health Service Executive) is under way on Mount Street, Dublin.

"The purpose of the operation is to ensure the safe movement of people seeking international protection from the tents on Mount Street to International Protection Accommodation Service (Ipas)-designated accommodation.

"The Ipas-designated accommodation has toilets and showers; health services; indoor areas where food is provided; facilities to charge phones and personal devices; access to transport to and from Dublin City Centre; and 24-hour onsite security."

’INHUMANE’

Irish Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik said the encampment was "inhumane and unsustainable".

She posted on X: "Glad to see alternative accommodation is now being provided by Gov, will press to ensure it is safe and secure."

Tanaiste Micheal Martin said the operation in Mount Street is to ensure the "safe movement of people" who are seeking asylum.

He said the sites that people are being moved to has facilities like toilets, showers, health services and indoor areas and facilities to charge phones and personal devices.

Martin said: "The Crooksling site has transport to and from Dublin city centre and onsite security.

"The tents on Mount Street are not acceptable, not acceptable for migrants and not acceptable for migrants either.

"It’s very important that we do this properly and our objective is to make sure we continue to provide accommodation of this kind, and as well faster processing of those seeking asylum, particularly from designated safe countries.

"We discourage (the tents) very strongly.

"The state has, within its powers, the capacity to make sure we don’t have tents back up on Mount Street or other streets and our view in Government is very clear is that we can’t have tents in streets adjacent to neighbourhoods.

"It’s not good for those seeking asylum and not for residents in the area, and it can create a lot of tension."

Minister McEntee yesterday got approval from the Cabinet to draft new legislation to let Ireland return asylum seekers to the UK if they travelled here via the North.

However, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has already said his government has no plans to take back asylum seekers from Ireland.

His government passed new laws that would see them sent to Rwanda for processing, and Tanaiste Micheal Martin believes the policy is partly why so many asylum seekers are leaving the UK for Ireland.

Rishi Sunak has said he is “not interested” in agreeing a deal that would see Ireland send asylum seekers back to the UK that have come here via Northern Ireland.

The claim has put Ireland and the UK on a legal collision course amid plans from Justice Minister Helen McEntee to pass laws aimed at enabling the Government to send asylum seekers back to Britain.

Last week, Minister McEntee told the Justice Committee that up to 80 per cent of asylum seekers in Ireland may have entered the country from the UK by crossing the border in the North.

Following Brexit, Ireland designated the UK as a “safe country” which meant that the Government could technically send asylum seekers back to Britain for processing if they came here.

However, in March of this year the High Court ruled that this was unlawful because of the UK Government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.

Minister McEntee says she plans to address this High Court ruling by introducing new legislation that would enable Ireland to send asylum seekers back to the UK.

However, the issue has now sparked a diplomatic row between Ireland and the UK with the two Governments at odds over the issue.

Asked if the UK will do a deal with Ireland to see migrants crossing into the Republic from the North, the UK PM said: “We’re not interested in that.

“We’re not going to accept returns from the EU via Ireland when the EU doesn’t accept returns back to France where illegal migrants are coming from – of course we’re not going to do that.”

The Prime Minister’s comments have not deterred Justice Minister Helen McEntee who will still push ahead with new legislation this week aimed at sending asylum seekers back to the UK.

’NO SHOWERS & TOILETS’

This is the second time the tents have been removed from Dublin’s city centre.

It was first reported that the tents had been removed in the lead up to St. Patrick’s Day.

At the time, the then Taoiseach Leo Varadkar denied any claims that the Government had moved hundreds of asylum seekers sleeping in tents out of Dublin city.

Hundreds of asylum seekers who had been sleeping in tents on Mount Street in the city centre were put on buses the weekend of St. Patrick’s Day and moved to the Crooksling site.

The tents that they had been sleeping in were quickly removed and the street cleaned up.

This sparked claims that the Government had moved the asylum seekers to clean up the city’s image ahead of St Patrick’s Day when tens of thousands of tourists will be in Ireland for the festival.

Asked if the asylum seekers and tents were moved to avoid embarrassing his government on St Patrick’s Day, the Taoiseach said: “No, the reason why they were moved to essentially that there wasn’t any sanitary facilities there were no showers and toilets on Mount Street, as I think you’ll know.

“So the alternative in Crooksling had that, so it was to move them really for health and safety reasons from a place where there was no facility somewhere there is.”

Asylum seekers have been sleeping on the streets in recent weeksCredit: COLLINS PHOTOS

Tents housing asylum seekers near to the Office of International Protection, in DublinCredit: � 2024 PA Media, All Rights Reserved

 

Elizabeth Baker