A HUGE rise in the number of people seeking asylum in Ireland in recent months has led to suspicions that organised groups are smuggling in refugees in return for large fees. The Department of Justice has asked gardai to increase surveillance at ports to combat illegal entry.
In the first two weeks of April, the Department registered 166 asylum seekers equivalent to the combined total recorded in the whole of 1990, 1991 and 1992.
The Minister for State at the Department of Justice, Ms Joan Burton, told The Irish Times she believed "a fair number" of refugees were being hidden in lorries coming into the country. Ms Burton said she was "very worried" that agents were targeting Ireland as an easy country to smuggle people into.
The increase is putting great strain on the system for processing applications, with almost 2,000 cases pending. Asylum seekers receive supplementary welfare allowance, but are not allowed to work or study.
Up to last week, a total of 843 people had sought asylum this year, compared to 1,179 for the whole of 1996. The number has grown from 39 in 1992 to 91 in 1993, 362 in 1994 and 424 in 1995.
The upward trend is confirmed by the Irish Refugee Council, which says its staff, most of them on FAS employment schemes, are "run off their feet" dealing with the surge in arrivals. However, the director, Ms Nadette Foley, points out that Ireland still had far fewer asylum seekers than most other European countries. "It only shows that we haven't been taking our share of refugees up to now."
The largest single group of asylum seekers comes from Romania - 207 in the first three months of this year and 428 in 1996. The Minister described the information to her on the Romanians as "extremely worrying and said some of them had come to the attention of the Garda.
The next largest contingent comes from Zaire (168 applicants in the first three months of this year, compared to 112 in 1996), followed by Somalia (75), Algeria (45) and Nigeria (35).
Ms Burton said additional resources were being provided to deal with the backlog of cases and an independent commissioner would shortly be appointed to deal with applications for asylum, as provided for under the Refugee Act passed by the Oireachtas last year.
A number of reasons are put forward for Ireland's new found popularity as a refugee destination. They include the current economic boom, a tightening of regulations in other EU countries and the State's human rights record.
