Protesters who brought traffic from Dublin Airport to a standstill on Sunday say they feel they are being forced to take action because the government “continues to allow thousands of people with fake documents to enter the country”.
“They are ignoring the real concerns ordinary people have about the immigration crisis, and failing to enforce the law or have proper security checks,” the Dublin Says No group said.
“We don’t know who these people are, and they are then being brought in busloads to our area and housed in our communities, not in Ballsbridge or Dublin 4. We are being left to carry that risk and the government is ignoring our concerns,” they said.
Those protesting chanted ‘no passport, no entry’ as they blocked the road leading from the airport – a measure they said was undertaken to draw attention to the “huge numbers of migrants entering the country without a passport or documentation.”
Joan Mulligan with the Dublin Says No group told Gript that “no-one should be let into the country if they have destroyed their passports – they should be sent home.”
Irish woman are true warriors, step into your power!! More of this please ☘️#DublinAirport #IrelandisFull #EnoughIsEnough pic.twitter.com/kZP3xNnN3M
— Off-Grid Ireland ☘️ (@OffgridIreland) March 26, 2023
Evidence from the authorities shows that thousands of people who go on to claim asylum in Ireland arrive claiming to have no documentation or present with false documentation – with more than 5,000 people doing so in 2022.
Campaigners say that the lack of reliable documentation for so many people means that thousands of unvetted migrants are being placed in centres in areas like Ballymun and East Wall, with no consultation with the locals.
It has also been pointed out that people who arrive in the country claiming not to have a passport must have had a valid passport to board the plane.
Last month, a court heard that no passport could be presented for a man, from either Moldova or Romania, who was charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl in Ballymun.
“Detective Garda Conor Garland cited the lack of a reliable passport as one of the reasons why he was objecting to bail as he was unsure as to the accused’s actual identity, and that the Gardaí were waiting to hear back from Interpol,” Gript reported at the time.
https://twitter.com/PepGavin/status/1639979186373685251
On Sunday, Dublin Airport advised passengers to give themselves more time to get to and from the terminals. The protest began at 2pm and continued for several hours.
Due to a protest close to the Airport Roundabout, traffic is heavy on the roads around Dublin Airport this afternoon. @GardaTraffic are at the scene & some traffic diversions are in place. Passengers travelling to the airport this afternoon are advised to allow additional time.
— Dublin Airport (@DublinAirport) March 26, 2023
Members of the Dublin Says No group said their protests at the airport would continue as long as the government ‘refused to stop letting migrants without documentation’ into the country.
https://twitter.com/ConMurphyCarlow/status/1640017587626037254
On Twitter, those scrambling to get to the airport expressed anger and annoyance at the protest, with some calling for the Gardai to intervene and make arrests if necessary.
However, one supporter responded by saying: ” In fairness people should never have to protest to ask those entering ours or any Country carry passports…we cannot travel without them, and how many had to lose out for not having or up to date ones..such an inconvenience on those catching flights, but [the government] needs to shape up.”