Aontú has launched what it describes as a “common sense” immigration policy in the lead-up to the general election later this month. The manifesto, released on Tuesday, outlines a ten point plan in relation to immigration which includes the establishment of a new border agency, a reinstatement of planning laws, and a community dividend.
Addressing the hot-button issue with weeks to go before the election, the party says that a lack of planning, consistency, sustainability, and community consultation by the Government on its immigration policies has “created chaos.”
In the document, the party, which presently has one TD and eight county councillors, wrote: “It was Aontú who first raised the massive problems in the government approach. We have been challenging the government ever since. Until opinion polls started to show that 70% of the Irish people were deeply uncomfortable with the government’s policy, the government was oblivious to what was happening.
“Parliamentary Questions have shown that it has been taking years for the first asylum decision to be made for thousands of applicants. It was taking up to 10 years for an asylum applicant to exhaust all of the appeals before a final decision is made.
“Another Aontú Parliamentary Question has shown that last year, there were 1,792 deportation orders made. Shockingly the government only enforced 98 of these. That’s 5% of all deportation orders being enforced. There were 648 voluntary deportations, yet the government cannot confirm if these people left the country.”
The party further asks in the preface to the policy breakdown: “What is the point of having a system that is supposed to differentiate between people who need help and those who don’t and then at the end of the process both groups have the same outcomes and stay in Ireland?”
“Thousands of people are arriving in Ireland who have destroyed their travel documents. This makes it much more difficult to process asylum applications. Aontú believe that a person who has purposefully destroyed their travel documents should not be given leave to land.”
It also notes that 76 per cent of people applying for asylum in Ireland don’t do so at airports or ports but at the International Protection Office, with the vast majority having come from Britain through Northern Ireland,
“Aontú asked the Minister for Justice, how many are coming through this route. The Minister told us she did not know. The Minister told us that applicants are not asked how they came into the country,” the document says, describing it as “outrageous” that Minister for Justice Helen McEntee is “not asking the relevant questions.”
TEN POINT PLAN
The document outlines ten key steps regarding immigration, the first of which is the creation of a new Irish Border Agency.
“We will create a new Border Agency. It will take over responsibility for border control, processing of applications and enforcement. Currently only a few hundred people are involved in managing our border systems and they are operating across two different government departments and in four different guises – the Garda National Immigration Bureau, the International Protection Office, The Border Management Unit and the International Protection Procurement Service,” the party says.
Secondly, it outlines a plan to reinstate the application of planning laws for asylum accommodation.
“Currently, no planning is required for IPAS accommodation – we have former industrial complexes, hotels and other buildings being automatically converted to house migrants without any input from the local population,” the document outlines.
“If the building of homes, business premises or any other community facility must run the gauntlet of planning processes, then not only should this apply to asylum accommodation, but the public must also be able to have their say on those applications.
“Aontú will end the exemption for asylum accommodation from planning law.”
Thirdly, the party says that where communities agree to host migrants, there must be a community dividend.
“The Government set aside millions of euros for this purpose, yet allocated only a small amount,” it adds.
“If a town or village agree to an increase in their population, the Government must provide immediate, sustainable investment in public services such as schools, healthcare and housing so that not only can local services cope with more demand, but that those who wish to create conflict with others on the basis of pressure on public services will have no fertile ground on which to spread disharmony.”
The manifesto also promises that the party will ensure that every application for asylum is processed within 6 months, saying this will be achieved through the new Border Agency which will be appropriately staffed.
“We have had asylum applicants wait up to ten years for their applications to be determined, and this must end,” it states, adding that it will create a new court and properly resource it to decide on asylum applications.
“Where the new court refuses an appeal, the applicant must be subject to enforced deportation.”
The destruction of documents must also end, the manifesto says, with the party promising voters: “The situation where some migrants destroy their travel documents to prevent the lawful processing of any asylum application or deportation is in flagrant breach of Irish and European law.
“We are clear, where an applicant deliberately destroys or loses travel documents, they will be refused permission to land. There have been instances where people have come to this country, destroyed their travel documents and rather than being held as is mandated in Irish law, they are released from their port of entry and are able to make their way to claim asylum at the IPAS centre in Dublin. There are no checks as to where these people then go.”
The remainder of the 2024 election manifesto pledges that Aontú stands against anyone with a criminal record from entering the country; the enforcement of deportations; a fairness in allocation of resources; an Irish sea border; and an oversight of State resources and finance being used in the system yearly so that Irish taxpayers can hold their elected representatives to account.
“Aontú is a party of self-determination. We oppose the EU Migration Pact which will erode the ability of domestic governments to manage their immigration systems and adapt to any changes in migration,” the document notes.
“Aontú seek a strict and speedy immigration system that differentiates between those who need help, those who are fleeing war and violence, and those who don’t. There are good people living in Ireland who have come from other countries doing important and valuable work. Aontú believes in equality and respect for all those who are legally contributing to Irish society.”