COMBATING ILLEGAL immigration has become a key objective in France's six-month presidency of the European Union. President Sarkozy has argued this is necessary on the grounds that the numbers involved cannot be provided for and may have a corrosive effect on public attitudes.
In the current economic climate, it came as no surprise that EU foreign ministers provided broad support for the Draft European Pact on Immigration and Asylum at their meeting in Cannes yesterday. The measure may be formally signed in October.
The Government is quite happy to allow France make the running. A spokesman for Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern said it was favourably disposed towards the pact and agreed with most of its points. That is understandable, given the content of the Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill that is at present before the Dáil.
That measure proposes, among other things, to establish a single appeals system for asylum seekers, to speed up the process and to create a situation where, if an immigrant does not have ministerial approval to be in the State, such a person may be removed without notice and may be detained for that purpose. When the Bill was circulated earlier this year, it was criticised as being excessive and the UN High Commission on Refugees suggested a number of changes. So too did the Irish Human Rights Commission, the Irish Refugee Council and some voluntary agencies. The minister at the time, Brian Lenihan, undertook to consider the proposals. Now, the French initiative may be used to justify some of the stricter measures in the proposed legislation.
Ireland's record in its treatment of asylum seekers and illegal immigrants has been patchy, at best, in spite of our experience as a people of long-term, forced emigration. Immigration took place elsewhere. So, when asylum seekers began to come here in significant numbers in the early 1990s, our legal and administrative structures were unable to cope. That surge has now slowed to a trickle, partly because of tough new legislation and economic measures that deny asylum seekers work while requiring them to stay in direct provision centres with an allowance of €19 a week. Terms and conditions are harsh.
All governments have a right and a duty to regulate who comes to live in their country and under what conditions. But, in this very unequal world, industrialised and wealthy countries also have a responsibility to share, as well as to trade. Most illegal immigrants come from poverty-stricken countries in Africa, Asia and South America. Without investment and development at home, they will continue to emigrate, perhaps risking their lives in the process.
Creating a Fortress Europe will not resolve that situation. Rather, it will encourage people-trafficking and facilitate a negative view of the EU. There is talk of building a partnership between EU states and the countries of origin of immigrants. Any such partnership should focus as much on economic aid and development as the repatriation of illegal immigrants.