A “tent city” giving makeshift accommodation to asylum seekers has sprung up in Dublin as a row erupts about how Ireland should deal with the country’s migrant crisis.
The shocking new images – taken this morning – reveal dozens of tents packed tightly next to each other on the streets around the International Protection Office as around 1,700 homeless migrants look for shelter.
But UK and Irish ministers are in a spat about where they should go – with UK Government ministers today rejecting Dublin’s demands to take back asylum seekers crossing from Northern Ireland.
Ireland claims that large numbers are taking advantage of the invisible border on the island to avoid being deported to Rwanda as the country’s courts declared the UK cannot be classed as “safe” due to the deal.
The tents have no access to sanitary facilities with some of the migrants saying they’ve been forced to use an open toilet in the corner of the camp.
Several of their tents have messages scrawled across them – one reads “we are not subhuman” and another says “homes for all”.
A spokesman for Rishi Sunak today suggested that the Prime Minister would ignore any new law introduced by Ireland which is still part of the European Union.
They said: “Even if Ireland was to pass legislation, it is up to the UK Government to decide who it does or does not accept into the country.
“We are not going to start accepting returns from the EU, just as France doesn’t accept returns from the UK.”
Mr Sunak said that the developments in Ireland showed that the Rwanda asylum scheme was “already having an impact”. He said this was “because people are worried about coming here”.
Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride agreed saying: “What you are seeing now are the early signs of the deterrent effect working.”
Former Cabinet minister David Jones added that if migrants were returned to Belfast they could simply cross into Ireland again.
He said: “They may start to understand why we think Rwanda is a good idea.”
Home Office figures show more than 7,000 migrants have arrived in the UK so far this year after making the journey which is a new record high.
