The Government was under too much pressure to provide migrants with accommodation in their “location of choice”, the Minister for Integration Roderic O’Gorman has said.
His comments came following the clearance of a makeshift campsite on Mount Street in Dublin city centre sheltering as many as 200 asylum seekers on Saturday morning. The asylum seekers were brought to the grounds of a former nursing home in Crooksling off the N81 in southwest Dublin. Portions of that building were damaged in an arson attack last month, following rumours the facility might be used as an accommodation centre for migrants.
Some of the asylum seekers have since returned to Mount Street.
Mr O’Gorman defended their weekend relocation.
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The Minister, who is on a six-day visit to Japan, said he acknowledged that “a small number” have indicated they are not happy with the new location but insisted it is an improvement.
“They have access to showers, toilet facilities…meals and they have security as well. And they didn’t have access to any of this at the site in Mount Street,” he told The Irish Times in Tokyo. “I think it’s significantly better than the place they were in.”
“Unfortunately, with the amount of pressure on accommodation right now the government isn’t in a position to provide people with accommodation in a location of choice,” he continued. “We’re under real pressure. But again, this site has security, it has access to sanitation, toilets, showers and meals for the international protection applicants.”
The relocation has been condemned by, among others, Dublin Communities Against Racism, which said it was done “to present a nice picture of the city for tourists and foreign media during Saint Patrick Day celebrations.”
“No matter what pretty picture is presented for St Patrick’s Day, our international reputation is in tatters,” said the pressure group.
The Department of Integration was under political pressure to clear the Mount Street tents ahead of the holiday. Last week, Fianna Fáil’s Jim O’Callaghan wrote to Mr O’Gorman, calling the camp a “permanent blight” on Dublin and said there was a “significant risk that there will be an outbreak of disease in the area.”
Mr O’Gorman also again rejected opposition calls for his resignation, following the failure of the Family and Care referendums.
“I’ve expressed deep disappointment at the result of the referendum. That’s the will of the people and I accept it and we move on. I’ll keep working in terms of delivering on accommodation for refugees.”
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the asylum seekers were moved on the grounds that there were no sanitary facilities available at Mount Street.
“There were no showers, no toilets on Mount Street,” the Taoiseach said. “The alternative solution was to move them for health and safety reasons from a place where there were no facilities to a place where there was,” he said.
Mr Varadkar was speaking in Washington DC on the second last day of a week-long visit to the US.
He disagreed with the suggestion that the site was too isolated. “Being provided with accommodation where there is running water, where there are showers, where there are toilets is better than living on the streets,” he said.
Asked whether he had concerns over security on the site given the arson attack last month, as well as protests on the issue, he said: “The reason why it was chosen [to accommodate migrants] is because it is State-owned, and it was available, and there was running water, showers, and toilets.
“It has much better conditions than people would have experienced on Mount Street.
“Unfortunately, there are protests. There are risks everywhere. You’ll recall what happened on Sandwith Street,” he said, referring to protests and disturbances on Sandwith Street, located close to the International Protection office in Mount Street.
“Unfortunately, no matter where people are, there are going be certain risks. Obviously, security measures are put in place as well.”
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