Paul Murphy Accuses Government of Refugee Discrimination
Paul Murphy criticised the government's treatment of refugees, arguing Ukrainians are being prioritised over people from Yemen, Syria and other countries. He said the policy amounts to discrimination and scapegoating and tied it to failures in housing and accommodation policy.
Alleged refugee discrimination
He asked why a person from Ukraine is treated as more entitled to accommodation than a person from Yemen or Syria, and rejected the Taoiseach's explanation that it was simply a matter of different status. He questioned whether the distinction was made because one group is European or white and called the approach "anti-certain refugee policy" that scapegoats the most vulnerable.
Links to housing failure
He linked the differential treatment to what he described as a complete failure of the government's housing policy, warning the policy will see hundreds more people rough sleeping in the coming weeks. He cited examples of inadequate responses, saying some arrivals received a €20 DUNS voucher and were told they would be emailed when accommodation becomes available, while over 160,000 vacant homes remain in the state.
Asylum rights and capacity concerns
He asserted that there is no such thing as an illegal asylum seeker and that everyone has the right to apply for asylum. He acknowledged an unprecedented refugee crisis in Europe, noted that last year almost 100,000 people arrived from Ukraine and other parts of the world, and said while compassion exists there is a lack of capacity that forces prioritisation.
Legal status distinctions outlined
He recounted distinctions in status cited in the debate: EU and UK citizens may come if they can support themselves; the state issues about 40,000 work permits a year; people from Ukraine benefit from temporary protection under EU law; programme refugees, including some from Syria, have a particular status; and those seeking international protection have a different status.
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I want to ask again about the refugee discrimination that the government is engaged in. I want to ask again why is a person from Ukraine more entitled to be accommodated than a person from Yemen or from Syria when both are fleeing unsafe conditions? Taoiseach earlier said they have a different status, but that is a political decision for you to give them a different status, so it does not answer the question. Why treat them differently? Is it because one is European? Is it because one is white? This anti-certain refugee policy is merely scapegoating the most vulnerable in our society, trying to cover up the fact that the government's housing policy is a complete failure. This policy will see hundreds of additional men and women rough sleeping in the coming weeks, exacerbating the crisis. Those who arrived yesterday received a €20 DUNS voucher and were told they would be emailed when the accommodation becomes available. It is absolutely scandalous. Again, when you have over 160,000 vacant homes in this state that the government is doing nothing about. Do you accept, by the way, that there is no such thing as an illegal asylum seeker? Everyone has the right to come here and apply for asylum. Finally, just in relation to the refugee crisis, as I said earlier, I think we should not forget the context. We are facing an unprecedented situation with a refugee crisis in Europe, the likes of which we have not seen since World War II, the likes of which we have never seen in Ireland. Last year, let us not forget, we welcomed almost 100,000 people to Ireland from Ukraine and from other parts of the world. We have provided them with shelter, with food, with heat, with light, with education for their children, with healthcare and, in many cases, employment. I think we can be proud as a society of what we have done in the past year. There is no lack of compassion from the government or from the Irish people, but there is a lack of capacity. We are doing all we can at the moment to source more accommodation. In the meantime, we have to prioritise, and we will be prioritising people coming here from Ukraine, but also people not coming here from Ukraine. Children, families, vulnerable adults and, of course, programme refugees. We cannot guarantee accommodation for everyone that comes to the country unannounced. We certainly will not turn anyone away, but we would say to people that if they are thinking of coming to Ireland and they are in a safe country, they are in a safe place, they have accommodation, that they need to be aware of the fact that accommodation is not necessarily available in Ireland. People coming here have all sorts of different status. Citizens from the EU and the UK are free to come here at will, provided they can support themselves. We issue 40,000 work permits every year to people of every colour, race and religion who come here legally, and they are allowed to do that. They are extremely welcome. We need them to power our economy and run our public services. It does not matter what their race or religion or colour is. People who come here from Ukraine are beneficiaries of temporary protection under EU law, which is above national law. and have a particular status. Program refugees, including those coming from Syria, for example, have a particular status. Those who are seeking international protection also have a particular status, but it is a different status to the ones that I mentioned.
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