|
The Green Party has warned that the
publication of the Immigration Bill just days before the dissolution
of the Dáil will make it difficult to hold a calm and measured
debate about immigration issues. The Party also warned that measures
in the Bill may cause difficulties to immigrants and their families
and said the publication of a Government Policy Paper on Immigration
prior to the Bill's consideration would have assisted public debate
around the issues.
Green Party Justice Spokesperson Ciarán Cuffe TD said:
"Immigration is now a permanent fixture of Irish life and is of
great benefit to our country if dealt with in a coordinated, well
organised, fair and humane manner. We want to see a system that is
streamlined and transparent and that makes decisions in a timely
manner. This is not currently the case. The Refugee Appeals Tribunal
has been tarnished by widely varying success rates that appear to
depend on the individual case officer. Even the Tribunal's own
website is 'offline for maintenance purposes' this afternoon.
"The Green Party is concerned at Section 35 of the Bill which gives
an immigration officer or a member of the Garda Síochána
wide-ranging powers of arrest and detention including the Kafkaesque
crime of an immigrant failing to make 'reasonable efforts to
establish his or her true identity'. The Bill also appears to
provide no adequate measure for family reunification.
"The Green Party in Government would set up a Ministry of State for
Immigration and Ethnic Affairs in the Department of the Taoiseach
with responsibility for driving a robust, high-level
cross-departmental process that would co-ordinate the work of all
departments and agencies that have a brief in relation to
immigration and integration policy.
"We would also shift the issuing of work permits from the employer
to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and ensure all
forms of permission to work are issued to the employee rather than
the employer and ensure that employment legislation protects
economic migrants from being exploited by their employers. We would
also give the right to vote to all adults resident in the State for
over three years. The Green Party believes in an Immigration system
that is transparent, fair and efficient. The Bill in its current
form fails to meet these objectives." |
