Joint Civil Society Statement on Homeless International Protection Applicants, May 24
"We are deeply concerned by situation of all people experiencing homelessness without shelter, including international protection applicants in this horrific position"
'The singer received a standing ovation as she dedicated the award, for I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, to “each and every member of Ireland’s refugee community”.'
Rest in Peace Sinéad O'Connor.
Shocking and disgraceful scenes in Dublin last night.
But always a tiny minority and in stark contrast to Irish communities' proud history of welcome.
Immediate Government action needed to protect people.
Well done to those who came out to protect.
📷
@bradshawphotos
Extremely distressing day and evening in Dublin.
Deepest sympathy to the children and woman attacked.
Our unswerving solidarity and support to all people seeking protection and refugees at this very fearful time.
Manipulation, hate and thuggery will never win.
Our thoughts are with the families who have been moved in.
We are hope the families who had to pass by the standoff are not too badly affected.
We hope the people of Roscrea can now welcome and support people in the hotel.
Human beings are now involved.
We are supporting and advising Afghan people in Ireland. We have received 1,000+ calls and 150+ emails in the last two weeks with queries and concerns about the situation.
Please consider a donation to support our work:
#Afghanistan
#RefugeesWelcome
Terrible and distressing conditions at the International Protection Office this morning.
Tents collapsing under snow and water.
We are deeply concerned by this situation.
Government and Council response is completely inadequate to respond and resolve this escalating crisis.
Implementing Alternatives to Direct Provision
Major new report by
@CampbellTickel1
, commissioned by Irish Refugee Council.
Building on Advisory Group report and aiming to guide White Paper and beyond.
Exec summary:
Full report:
Rescuing people from drowning is just that: rescuing people from drowning.
There is no nuance to it or for and against.
Voting against the motion was also inconsistent with the proud actions of Ireland's
@naval_service
which rescued 18,000+ people in the Mediterranean.
We are proud to work with people seeking protection
We are proud to work with men seeking protection
We remember the millions of Irish men who emigrated and received bigotry
We applaud the many Irish communities who give welcome
We oppose hate and racism
#RefugeesWelcome
One month from the Russian invasion of Ukraine:
📞3425 calls
📧 1500+ emails
🖥️57000 website visits
🛌🏾 2000 accommodation pledges
Our services will continue to grow, including a Ukraine language helpline.
We need your support.
Please donate⬇️
A mindless act that will only galvanise support and assistance to people seeking asylum Ireland, as shown by the response in Moville.
Local communities across the country have lead the way in providing welcome to people and this will continue.
Hate will not win.
1. A thread on Direct Provision centre locations.
People need to travel to Dublin for:
➡️interview with International Protection Office
➡️appeal hearing at International Protection Appeals Tribunal
➡️renewal of temporary residence certificate
➡️meet lawyer
➡️medical appt
"Now is the time for solidarity with those who come to Ireland seeking protection, to insist that asylum seekers deserve humane treatment while their claims are processed, and to condemn a system intentionally designed to demean & deter them. It’s time to end
#directprovision
."
70 people from
#Afghanistan
have applied for protection in 2020 (up until June).
Afghan applicants are on a 'prioritisation' list, however projected waiting times are currently 19.5 months.
We call on the
@DeptJusticeIRL
and IPO to proactively recognise Afghan applications.
We support a 'Yes' vote in Friday's referendum.
Women in the asylum process who need an abortion, including victims of rape, face huge barriers in travelling abroad.
Joint statement with
@NascIreland
@DorasLuimni
and
@immigrationIRL
is available here:
We are at
@CiiTweets
Charity Excellence Awards.
An amazing evening celebrating the power of Irish charities and civil society.
We have been nominated for Charity of the Year!
Fingers crossed 🤞
#CEA2023
Ending Direct Provision now becomes government policy.
For the moment, these are simply words on a page and disentangling ourselves from a 20 year old system is a huge task.
Implementation is everything.
Nonetheless this is hugely significant moment which we strongly welcome.
❤️It is with great delight that the Bohemian Football Club, made possible by
@DesKellyIE
, unveil our 2020
@ONeills1918
away jersey, a partnership with
@AmnestyIreland
Full launch at 11am
Available now at
"asylum seekers who have spent at least 2 years awaiting a decision can also apply for regularisation"
Detail to study but very welcome news from
@HMcEntee
.
Well done to
@MigrantRightsIr
for a long campaign for all undocumented people living in Ireland.
This is very welcome news from
@SimonHarrisTD
and
@Education_Ire
Led by
@CharlotteByrne
we have been calling for this for some time.
Asylum seekers without Leaving Cert now eligible for third-level grant
Today we say goodbye to our colleague
@brianmcollins
who is moving to an exciting position at
@_IHREC
.
Brian has been an essential part of
@IrcLawcentre
since 2012.
While he may not say it, his legal work has changed people's lives, helping them to be safe from persecution.
Re Dublin anti-mask rally
@IpatTribunal
guidelines:
"Members shall conduct themselves in a manner that will not cast doubt on their ability to perform their duties objectively and impartially."
Event clearly had far right support.
We are writing to
@DeptJusticeIRL
and IPAT.
"those who attacked the camp were brandishing knives and pipes. ...eight tents were slashed and thrown into the River Liffey."
Appalling.
We have repeatedly warned failure to accommodate people puts them at risk of harm, particularly in current climate.
A message for
#WorldRefugeeDay
I am because you are.
I am a survivor.
I am confident.
I can fight for my rights.
I am capable of great things.
I am a refugee.
I am a fighter.
Thank you also to all doctors, healthcare assistants and all frontline workers.
@immigrationIRL
Ireland received 3,655 asylum claims (including relocation) in 2018, representing 0.6% of the total number of applications in the EU.
Average number of claims per member state was 18,679.
3,655 is 756 people per million of the Irish population.
Or 0.07% of total population.
Reminder:
▫️ Protection applicants don't get social welfare or child benefit
▫️ Receive only €38 (€29 child) per week
▫️Can apply to work at 6 months, but ends if app negative
▫️ Many reports of poverty
▫️ Ukraine support already drastically reduced
Essential reading from
@sallyhayd
:
"How many tens of thousands more people need to die for there to be a reckoning? How has this mass death become in any way normalised? Will there ever be accountability?"
Tragic and disturbing.
May they rest in peace.
Our thoughts are with the person's family and friends.
We have previously called for an open investigation when a person in Direct Provision dies, similar to prison service. Ultimately a person is in the care of the State.
Sad news another asylum seeker from Tracey's Hotel Direct Provision Centre in County Monaghan died by suicide. He requested many times to be transferred but no answer from IPAS. How many more
@HMcEntee
? Close the camps for profits.
Documentary to be broadcast tomorrow, Wednesday on
@TG4TV
at 21:30.
"Céad Míle Fáilte focuses on the people who seek refuge here in order to escape conflict, trauma or domestic abuse in their home countries."
#TAB
Ú - Céad Míle Fáilte | Dé Céadaoin 21:30 | 12/2 | TG4
Tugann 'Céad Míle Fáilte' léargas ar shaol cheathrar atá ag lorg tearmainn in Éirinn.
An exploration of the Direct Provision system as seen through the eyes of those least able to criticise it.
#GE20
#DirectProvision
This a terrible tragedy and our thoughts are with families.
It is also a predictable and avoidable one in the absence of safe and legal pathways to protection and migration.
If arson as suspected, this is a poisonous act. It will always be overshadowed by the long history of welcome and support given to people seeking asylum by communities all over Ireland, in the past, today and the future. Hate will never win.
#Moville
#DirectProvision
Covid-19 is happening now and we need to act.
We have a clear call:
#MoveTheVulnerableOut
of Direct Provision.
➡️
@HSELive
risk categories
➡️ People in crowded accommodation where social distancing not possible
➡️ people working on the frontline
@CharlieFlanagan
please act.
@ellenmcoyne
@elliekisyombe1
@LeoVaradkar
@morningireland
@JOEdotie
Very likely someone would be destitute if they left DP.
Weekly allowance only given if you actually live in DP.
Not entitled to social housing.
Can work, but only if waiting 9 months for decision.
V difficult to get bank account + driver licence due to photo ID requirement.
A huge welcome to all.
And thank you to the Irish government officials plus
@UNHCRIreland
and
@IOMIreland
and others who have worked very hard to make this happen in difficult circumstances.
‘Being in Ireland feels like winning the lottery’
During the pandemic we have helped 58 people to leave Direct Provision or homelessness and enter secure long term accommodation.
There are still 1,000 people in Direct Provision who cannot leave because of the housing crisis.
Get in touch if you have accommodation to rent.
⬇️
1/2
@LeoVaradkar
comments that people can leave
#directprovision
any time are wrong.
Weekly allowance of €38.80, medical card and other supports only given if you actually live in DP.
People not entitled to social housing and can only work if waiting 9 months for decision.
The apology should be to the actual people living in the hotel who have suffered above all others not just the local community.
On the 25 May, 69 people, including 9 children, will have been in 'quarantine' for one month.
We welcome
@HSELive
decision to give temporary accommodation to people living in Direct Provision who are doing essential work in healthcare.
However, we are concerned at the time it may take for accommodation to be processed given the need to act now to reduce risk of spread.
On World Refugee Day, we placed a banner on the fences that line the Canal in Dublin.
The fences represent the many barriers refugees face and then surmount.
A banner, made from tents, with a single clear message:
"Refugees Don't Need More Barriers"
ℹ️
Absolutely awful racist attack.
"Gardaí are investigating after an asylum seeker was assaulted in Dublin 8 on Sunday."
"he had been sitting in Bridgefoot Street Park with a group of asylum seekers, waiting for a charity based nearby to open for dinner."
Copy of our letter to
@CharlieFlanagan
requesting that vulnerable people in
@HSELive
risk categories are moved out of Direct Provision.
"We are gravely concerned that current accommodation is not suitable for people in these risk categories during this crisis."
#Covid
-19
We are at the United Against Racism rally at the GPO Dublin organised by
@LeCheileDND
&
@UnitedARacism
.
Massive turnout and loving the powerful solidarity speeches and spirit. A true reflection of the diverse Irish society.
#standingwithrefugees
“There’s nothing criminal, or heroic, about helping people in distress at sea,”
“Legally and morally, it is the right thing to do.”
@sean_binder_
@FrHumanitarians
On trial for saving lives: the young refugee activist facing a Greek court
“it is an indictment on our asylum system if we are defending the accommodation of eight people in one room on the grounds that it is permitted under the minimum space requirements of the Housing Act”
The Solidarity March is on this Saturday, the 18th of February! Your presence at this event will be much appreciated.
The meeting point is📍Parnell Square.
The march from Parnell Square to Customs House begins at ⏱️1:30 PM.
Our statement on Coolock.
What has happened is not representative of the local community.
Arson and attacking Gardai are crimes not protest.
Government must deliver on leadership, communication, and long-term accommodation plans.
#RefugeesWelcome
Huge thanks to
@CentraIRL
who we partnered with on the delivery of more than 3,000 Easter eggs to Direct Provision centres.
Children across Ireland have faced huge challenges during the crisis, not least children in Direct Provision.
Full press release and photos below ⬇️
We gave substantial support to 3000+ people in 2021, receiving more than 13000 calls.
♥️ Please consider a donation to our Christmas appeal and support our work in 2022.
🔗Donate and download our 2021 Impact Report:
📹'Letters at Sea' by
@StoriCreative
Our thoughts are with family and friends of the person who took their life in Monasterevin.
Fellow residents need to be supported and listened to.
Essential that without delay vulnerabilities of people seeking asylum are assessed, as required by Reception Conditions Directive.
Pep Guardiola supporting
@openarms_fund
this afternoon.
Open Arms visited Ireland in 2019 in as part of the Search and Rescue visit we organised:
Donate to support their essential life saving work in the Mediterranean:
Our letter to the Irish Times responding to Senator Michael McDowell's article.
▪️ Respect the law
▪️ Irish refugee recognition rates close to EU, we are not an outlier
▪️ Caution on writing off all applications from particular countries
?
Re
@LeoVaradkar
comments:
1. Generalised assumptions that countries are de facto safe are dangerous. Human rights orgs report issues in both Albania and Georgia.
2. Refugee Convention says penalties shall not be imposed on people who have to use illegal entry to claim asylum.
Good news.
Applicants (people seeking protection) were lawfully resident in State and therefore entitled to a driver licence.
Long overdue.
Driver licence a basic but key building block of integration.
Well done to the applicants and all involved.
"I cannot sit back in good conscience while the world my generation built is left to turn feral in the hands of right-wing populists and indifferent capitalists"
40+ organisations requested a modest increase of €20 to the Direct Provision weekly allowance during the pandemic.
This was refused by
@welfare_ie
.
People are encountering additional costs at this time. Increasing the allowance would help show we are all in this together.
We are working relentlessly to support people who are homeless.
▫️ Successful high court litigation
▫️ Supporting 350+ people through our drop in centre
▫️ Advocacy towards government for change
▫️ Working with Dublin services
Donate to support our work:
Shocking and disgraceful scenes in Dublin last night.
But always a tiny minority and in stark contrast to Irish communities' proud history of welcome.
Immediate Government action needed to protect people.
Well done to those who came out to protect.
📷
@bradshawphotos
The Mother and Baby Homes report further reveals human rights abuses.
The report recommends a memorial fund for disadvantaged children, including in Direct Provision.
While welcome, a true memorial should be ending all forms of institutional living, not least Direct Provision.
This week a Syrian family arrived in Ireland as part of the community sponsorship initiative.
They are being welcomed and supported by an amazing community in Leinster.
Syria > refugee camp in Jordan > Ireland > community and home.
#RefugeesWelcome
#somegoodnewsthismorning
Not confirmed this is arson but it fits the now well established pattern.
A tiny but very dangerous minority. We are very concerned someone is going to get hurt or worse.
Full investigation required (same for 20+ other arsons).
#RefugeesWelcome
always.
Our Independent Law Centre winning this category!
Amazing recognition of incredible work at the very forefront of refugee rights.
Seminal litigation for homeless protection applicants, breaking ground on family reunification and relentless commitment to early legal advice.
We are very sad to hear of the passing of a transgender woman living in Direct Provision in Galway. We express our deepest condolences to her family and friends and we’d like to offer our support to anyone affected by this tragic loss.
A very welcome, if overdue, decision.
Awaiting confirmation, but presumably the PUP (previously denied) now available to people in DP.
"Direct Provision residents will be treated the same as any other citizen in terms of social protection supports when it comes to COVID-19 ."
Following reports that there was an issue with people in Direct Provision settings being reluctant to come forward for tests because of fear of losing income, we have decided that, lest there be any doubt, Direct Provision residents will be treated the same as any other citizen.
If child benefit is a universal payment, why are the children most in need excluded?
Our op-ed in the Irish Times on why Child Benefit, or an equivalent payment, must finally be extended to children in Direct Provision in
#Budget2024
.
We are delighted to partner with
@WeMakeGoodIre
on this project.
The face masks are made by The Textile Studio: women from a refugee background who make amazing fabrics.
Buy 1 for yourself and 1 for someone in Direct Provision.
To purchase:
Fergal we are very concerned that a pilot doesn't reflect the urgency of the situation.
We and others are calling for at least all people in
@HSELive
risk categories to be moved to accommodation where they can socially distance themselves, self-isolate and cocoon if necessary.
The Department of Justice has said that together with the HSE it will "pilot an off-site self-isolation facility" for asylum seekers living in Direct Provision centres and in emergency accommodation.
We are supporting and advising Afghan people in Ireland. 1,800 incoming calls and 300+ emails in the last two weeks.
Please consider a donation to support our work:
Huge thank you to all who have donated so far.
#Afghanistan
#RefugeesWelcome
We partnered with
@RNLI
to produce water safety posters translated in to Arabic.
The posters will be circulated to Direct Provision centres and EROCs.
#BeBeachSafe
#WaterSafety
#Arabic
DM for more info.
Reporting on current situation so important.
Reminder that it is a criminal offence to identify someone as a protection applicant without their consent (IP Act, S26 (2)).
@UNHCRIreland
+
@NUJofficial
's 'Reporting on Refugees Guide' essential reading.
🔗
#Bicycle
Needed 🚲🚲🚲
We are looking for a bike for a student who is walking 45min before a 2hr bus journey to get college every day. A bike would make a huge difference to this person's daily commute - pls email caroline
@irishrefugeecouncil
if you can help
#EducationAccess
🚲
Significant development:
"One of the Green demands was ending the existing system of direct provision for asylum seekers, and replacing it with accommodation provided by approved housing bodies.
In reply, Leo Varadkar and Micheál Martin agreed to ending direct provision..."
🆕
"Now I Live On The Road"
Our new report, launched today, on the experience of homeless international protection applicants.
Based on our experience of working with homeless people, their testimony and interviews with other services.
🔗Report + PR:
'How Ballinamore has fared four years after asylum protests'
Important article on Ballinamore.
4 years ago: protests and arson attack, now things are going well.
This is our experience over 30 years: human contact matters and people enrich communities.
We are remembering Sinéad McGrath.
Sinéad worked with us in 2013-2014 and was Researcher for our ongoing, 'Our Voice, Our Rights' project with Spirasi.
A wonderful and powerful person.
Our deepest condolences to her family and many friends.
Her memory and work will live on.