The Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin Most Rev John Neill has urged that people in Ireland "welcome the stranger" instead of basing immigration policy on the experience of other European countries. Alison Healy and Liam Horan report.
He is the second senior religious figure to intervene in the immigration debate, following the recent controversial deportation of 35 Nigerians.
Last week, the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Dr Diarmuid Martin criticised the deportation of Nigerian student Olukunle Elukanlo, the day before the Minister for Justice reversed the deportation.
In his Easter message yesterday, Dr Neill said the compassion shown by the authorities in individual cases was commendable. "But one cannot help but wonder if there are not many others being treated very unfairly simply because nobody with influence has been able to speak on their behalf," he said.
"The time has come for us to decide whether our immigration policy is to be determined purely from the particular experience of other European countries, many of them coping with the particular legacy of colonialism, or whether it can start from the positive assumption that we want to welcome the stranger."
Dr Neill said some immigrants felt they they were assumed to be opportunists and unworthy of residency unless they could prove otherwise. "A more Christian attitude would surely be to treat foreigners in a much more positive way," he said.
The support offered to the immigrant community by churches and other agencies would be of little value if there wasn't a real concern that there was a place here for people from other lands and cultures, he said.
Meanwhile, a local group campaigning for the return of the deported Nigerian women from Athlone will step up its actions this evening with a public meeting and plans for a poster campaign.
Elizabeth Odunsi and Iyabo Nwanze were deported with two of their youngest children two weeks ago, leaving four children behind, aged between eight and 18. They are still missing although their details have not been posted on the Garda website's section on missing persons.
Another Athlone-based Nigerian family has been granted a court injunction that prevents them from being deported until a judicial review of their case is heard.
Chinelo Ilwukeme, and her children Aduoma (9) and Chiemele (7), were told last month that they were earmarked for deportation back to Lagos.
Ms Ilwukeme said yesterday she looked forward to making her case. "It has been a very tough time since we were told we would be deported," she said.
Frank Young, spokesman for Athlone Against Racism, which will be renamed Athlone Altogether tonight, said the group had received calls of support from as far away as Cork and Limerick.
"I met one woman who said she would be bringing 10 people to the meeting. Mothers in particular are very distraught because their children went to school with these children."
He spoke to Ms Odunsi and Ms Nwanze in Nigeria on Sunday and said they were still "very distressed and distraught".
The meeting is being held at the Siptu office in Athlone at 6.30pm.