Tánaiste Simon Harris has insisted that the State will “continue to apply rules” when it comes to the granting of visas. He made the comments in response to criticism from Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín over the refusal of visas for 47 Palestinians due to come to Ireland for a GAA tour.
Speaking in the Dáil this afternoon during questions to Mr Harris, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr Tóibín said he was critical of the decision by Irish immigration officials to refuse visas for the group Palestinians who were set to come to Ireland later this month.
The group of Palestinians in the West Bank were planning to come to Ireland for a GAA tour next week, however, it emerged yesterday that they had been informed their visa applications had been refused due to “insufficient documentation” by the Irish Immigration Service, according to the GAA Palestine group.
Speaking today, Mr Tóibín called on the Tánaiste to formally ask the Minister for Justice to intervene in relation to the matter, to establish whether a visa be provided for the group, of which the majority of children. Mr Harris, however, pointed out that a request was made for 47 people to travel to Ireland from Palestine, 33 of whom were children not travelling in the company of their parents, telling the Meath politician that “this country will continue to apply rules in relation to migration and the issuing of visas.”
Deputy Tóibín said: “The killing of 57,700 people in Gaza is a war crime of massive proportions. And it’s happening in large part because it’s underwritten by the West. It’s underwritten by the US and many countries in the European Union. And the approach from the West to the war in Ukraine and the war in Palestine could not be more different. Ireland’s approach also could not be more different, and the refusal of the 33 Palestinian children from the GAA Palestine Project is an example of this, is it not?”
Responding, Tanaiste Simon Harris, sought clarification, asking: “You are critical of the decision not to grant the visas?”
“I am critical of it ,” said Toibin. Harris, in response, continued: “I think in relation to visas, and obviously, every single individual visa application has to be considered on its merit. But this country will continue to apply rules in relation to migration and the issuing of visas. The Department of Justice will continue to robustly apply rules, particularly when it involves minors, and particularly when it involves minors travelling without their parents and accompanied by other adults.”
‘DOZENS COMING UNACCOMPANIED’
“I agree there should be rules,” the Aontu leader said. “And I do agree that there should be checks – and probably nobody has said that more in this chamber nearly than myself in the last number of years. But I’ve also said that it needs to be compassionate, and I think that’s a sentence you said too, that strict system, and that there should be a compassionate response as well. And there are dozens of children unaccompanied coming to this country on an annual basis anyway at the moment. That is the state of the situation.
“Currently, if you just look at the two approaches between Ukraine and between Palestine. There’s 112,189 people from the Ukraine here. They have come to the country; they don’t need a visa. And they’re considered for their temporary situation to be nearly European citizens in terms of what they can achieve, and I understand that as well.
“And here on the other side of the situation, we’ve 33 Palestinian children from the GAA Palestine Project. And it’s very obvious there’s a two-tier approach. It is materially different; those two groups of individuals have a completely materially different experience in relation to this. I would ask if you could formally ask the Minister for Justice to intervene in relation to this and to see can a visa can be provided for these children.”
‘FACTORS THAT MUST BE CONSIDERED’
Minister Harris, in response, said: “We’ve already seen many visas being granted to Palestinian nationals – mostly to family members of Irish citizens, and to residents, and we do try to adopt a compassionate approach.
Mr Harris said that it was the case that additional documentation, such as birth certificates, are regularly requested, adding that the applications had been given “very careful consideration.”
“I take your point, and your credibility, if you like, on this in relation to wanting a rules-based migration system,” he said. “I don’t doubt your bona fides on that in our migration system. I also don’t doubt, in any manner or means, and neither does the Minister for Justice, or the Government, the good faith of those in organising these events. I don’t doubt that at all for a moment. But there are many factors which must be considered before a visa can be granted. And unfortunately, not all people will be able to demonstrate that they satisfy the conditions to be granted a visa to come to Ireland. The granting of a visa is a very important legal document in our migration system.
‘NOT TRAVELLING IN THE COMPANY OF THEIR PARENTS’
“There was a request for 47 people to travel to Ireland from Palestine; 33 of these were children who were not travelling in the company of their parents. And these applications were given very careful consideration, and like I say, a visa officer has to be satisfied that children who are not travelling in the company of their parents are with an appropriate guardian. Additional documents such as birth certs or consent letters are regularly requested to establish the relationship. There is an appeals process underway.”
The GAA Palestine group said they were “devastated” by the development, and on Friday, they launched a petition asking the Department of Justice to “provide clear status” on the pending visas for the GAA Palestine Ireland tour. The petition so far has over 10,000 signatures.
“33 children are ready to take part in the trip of a lifetime,” the petition said. “Clubs and families across the country are ready to welcome them. GAA Palestine have been organising this trip for months. The only thing standing in their way is the Irish government who have refused their visas at the moment. GAA Palestine demands immediate action from the Department of Justice to allow these children to come and visit Ireland.”
“GAA Palestine is a symbol of hope for children who’ve been denied a proper childhood. LET THEM PLAY!”
GAA Palestine’s founder has called on Taoiseach Micheál Martin to step in, as the organisation vows to “not give up hope” pending an appeal of the decision by the Irish Immigration Service.
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