Overview
- Tánaiste Simon Harris said migration numbers are too high and called for a serious rethink of policy, referencing last week’s CityWest violence as unacceptable “thuggery.”
- The Taoiseach said the Government is examining every aspect of migration policy, including faster appeals, stronger UK cooperation on returns and not ruling out offshore deportation hubs.
- He outlined trends showing roughly 3,500 asylum applications pre-pandemic, 13,500 in 2023 and 18,500 in 2024, with about 12,000 expected in 2025, a drop of around 40% year on year.
- Aontú’s Peadar Tóibín called Harris’s stance a significant u-turn, while Sinn Féin’s Matt Carthy said decisions still take too long and deportations are not effectively enforced.
- Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon warned Harris’s remarks risk being inflammatory and urged evidence-based leadership, as Fine Gael’s Barry Ward defended the comments and pointed to investment and shorter processing times.