Non-EU nationals working on fishing vessels illegally

AT LEAST 1,000 non-EU nationals are working on Irish fishing vessels without work permits, the Irish Transport Federation has said.

The Department of Enterprise, has not issued any permits to non- EU seafarers to work on Ireland’s 2,000-strong fishing fleet in the last four years and has not received any applications for such permits.

However, according to the federation, which is affiliated to Siptu, many workers from outside the EU are employed on Irish fishing vessels illegally. Some have also been badly treated.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0928/1224279828690.html

Bill on migrants criticised as unclear

THE GOVERNMENT’S latest version of its Immigration Bill still fails to provide clear rules on who can come and live in Ireland and what conditions and rights they have, a leading NGO has warned.

The Immigrant Council of Ireland said yesterday that the proposed Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill 2010 would result in inconsistent decision-making, delays and a continued reliance on the courts to decide many cases.

Provisions enabling the State to deport migrants without any possibility of appealing a decision would also breach Ireland’s human rights obligations, the council said in a paper on the new Bill.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0921/1224279369187.html

Takeaway facing immigration fine

Owners of a Co Antrim kebab shop were facing a fine of up to £20,000 after immigration officials arrested two of its employees.

Two Pakistan nationals, aged 37 and 29, were arrested, one on suspicion of being an illegal immigrant and the other on suspicion of breach of visa conditions.

The owners of Raz Kebab in Carrickfergus must now show they carried out "right-to-work" checks on the men.

http://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/national-news/takeaway-facing-immigration-fine-2287676.html

Foreigners trafficked to Ireland

"GIRLS in their early teens are being trafficked to Northern Ireland and forced into prostitution and servitude right under our noses."

That was the stark admission, not of an anti-prostitution campaigner or women’s rights activist, but of the assistant chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and it was made during a Stormont Public Accounts Committee meeting last month.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/for-sale-121874.html

Illegals posing as children at our airports

PLANES landing at Dublin Airport are being routinely searched to root out illegal immigrants intending to pass themselves off as children in the hope that they will be taken into care, rather than deported.

The Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) has stepped up its monitoring of incoming flights in response to what it says is a growing phenomenon in which young adults, many from China, are trying to slip through Ireland's immigration laws by posing as children.

Under Irish law, children under the age of 18 who arrive in Ireland unaccompanied gain automatic entry by being placed in the care of the Health Service Executive.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/illegals-posing-as-children-at-our-airports-2083476.html

Three illegal workers arrested in NI

Three suspected illegal workers have been arrested in Northern Ireland.

Two Indians and one Bangladeshi man were detained following a house search in Newry, Co Down.

The two Indians had overstayed their visit visas and were arrested as they tried to escape through the back garden of the house. The Bangladeshi man had a fraudulently obtained UK passport.

http://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/national-news/three-illegal-workers-arrested-2049125.html

State to tap immigrant return fund

THE Government is seeking EU funds to get illegal immigrants from Nigeria, China and Brazil to leave the country.

It wants to tap into the European Return Fund (2008-2013), which is worth almost €700m, to pay for the return of illegal immigrants.

The top five source countries for asylum applications in the first 10 months of this year were Nigeria (499 people), Pakistan (216), China (169), the Democratic Republic of Congo (91) and Moldova (79). But the overall number of applications (2,354) is the lowest since the mid 1990s and far below the peak of 11,634 refugee applications in 2002.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/state-to-tap-immigrant-return-fund-1966147.html

Scamming cricketers foil immigration

Immigration officials have been stumped by scamming cricket teams from the Middle East who arrange matches but go on the run rather than play, it emerged today.

The Department of Justice said in the last year two teams, with players mainly from Pakistan and Bangladesh, caught out border control after they came to compete but never turned up for the innings.

Justice chiefs warned it has become a growing trafficking trend.

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/scamming-cricketers-foil-immigration-420125.html#ixzz0MPZEb2UL

Deportation of 56 illegal immigrants costs €150k

ALMOST 60 illegal immigrants were deported last night at a cost of more than €150,000 to the Irish taxpayer.

The Nigerian deportees included two criminals who were convicted of serious crimes while in Ireland.

The rapist and drug dealer were flown from Dublin to Lagos, in what was the biggest deportation flight organised by immigration authorities here.

Some 16 children and a group of illegal immigrants who were seeking residence in Britain were also among the group.

http://www.herald.ie/national-news/deportation-of-56-illegal-immigrants--costs-8364150k-1573015.html

Illegal immigrant hired by garda

Lack of vetting for garda interpreters has resulted in an illegal Chinese immigrant being hired by the force and has prompted calls for an immediate overhaul of the current ad-hoc system.

At present, if a foreign national presents at a garda station and translation is necessary, officers either choose an interpretation agency from the Golden Pages or check the notice board for flyers offering interpretation services, often from unverified sources.

http://www.tribune.ie/news/home-news/article/2008/nov/30/illegal-immigrant-hired-by-garda/

Majority of illegals defying orders to leave

FEWER than one in five deportation orders signed by Justice Minister Dermot Ahern are put in effect, it emerged last night.

Official statistics confirm that a total of 495 deportation orders have been issued by Mr Ahern up to the end of last month.

But only 95 orders have been implemented successfully.

The number of orders signed has dropped from a high of 2,185 in 2005 but surpasses last year's total of 404.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/majority-of-illegals-defying-orders-to-leave-1541987.html

More than 50 cases of trafficking into Ireland

AT LEAST 50 foreign nationals have been trafficked into the Republic for forced labour in the past six years, according to new research.

Preliminary findings of a study being carried out by the Irish School of Ecumenics at Trinity College Dublin also show that victims included Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, Egyptians and Filipinos, and that catering, manufacturing and domestic work were among the sectors where the practice arose.

The figures were compiled from case files held by support groups, trade unions and other bodies. Presenting their research at a seminar on the topic in Dublin yesterday, Dr Gillian Wylie and Deirdre Coghlan said their data - showing at least 50 cases were recorded since 2002 - gave a conservative estimate of the problem.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1015/1223988037567.html

Court told of rise in fake ID cases among foreign nationals

THERE HAVE been six reported cases so far this year in Galway of foreign nationals producing fake documents, such as passports and birth certificates, at the social welfare office in a bid to obtain PPS numbers so that they can work illegally, it emerged at Galway Circuit Criminal Court yesterday.

Judge Raymond Groarke commented that people were using professional fraudsters and forgers to obtain fraudulent documents. This crime was being committed far too regularly in a schematic and professional manner, the judge said.

“People are making vast sums of money on the backs of people looking for such documents and it has to be marked with the imposition of a prison sentence,” he said.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1009/1223445618118.html

Unlimited detention plan for immigrants ‘draconian’

MEASURES which mean immigration officers may be able to hold foreign nationals for an unlimited time and deport people without notice have been labelled draconian by the Irish Refugee Council.

Currently being debated in the Dáil, refugee and immigration groups are concerned The Immigration Residence and Protection Bill 2008 needlessly extends the power of immigration officers, many of whom are not gardaí and who cannot be held accountable for their decisions.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/irishexaminer/pages/story.aspx-qqqg=ireland-qqqm=ireland-qqqa=ireland-qqqid=73819-qqqx=1.asp

Government U-turn on undocumented migrant workers

THE GOVERNMENT is to set up a programme to regularise the status of undocumented migrant workers in Ireland who previously held work permits.

Senior officials told unions and employers at social partnership talks last week that the scheme will be aimed at foreign national workers who have become undocumented through "no fault of their own".

The move appears to be a significant U-turn by the Government, which previously signalled that any such move could provide an incentive for illegal immigration.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/0922/1221998222088.html

Refugee numbers fall off while 900 failed applicants vanish

UP TO 900 failed asylum seekers have vanished in Ireland in the past two years, the first official figures from the gardaí have revealed.

Despite a large fall in the numbers of would-be refugees coming to Ireland, the numbers vanishing from the asylum process is rising.

The total number of illegal asylum seekers in the country who have been declined refugee status remains a mystery. Senior garda sources have estimated it could be anywhere between 6,000 to 7,000 people who have fallen through the cracks over the past decade. Many have left for other EU states such as the UK.

"These are people who we have lost track of. They have opted out of the asylum system and are not claiming any state benefits," a senior garda said. "The potential for them to be taken advantage of or vice versa is a real issue."

http://www.tribune.ie/news/home-news/article/2008/sep/21/refugee-numbers-fall-off-while-900-failed-applican/

C of I priest says racism 'sanctioned' by the State

Canon Comerford was referring to publicity surrounding how the Nigerian priest, Father John Achebe, was stopped at Dublin airport last Tuesday night, and his passport was confiscated.

He was arrested on the suspicion of trying to enter the country illegally, taken to Cloverhill prison, forced to stand naked in front of other prisoners, and served with a deportation order.

But Fr Achebe was later released after the intervention of the Nigerian Ambassador.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/c-of-i-priest-says-racism-sanctioned-by-the-state-1475497.html

Ireland a haven for illegal immigrants

IRELAND is a “highly attractive” destination for illegal immigrants and criminal gangs smuggling them in, according to an EU security report.

The report also said Irish criminal gangs were bypassing international drug traffickers in Europe and arranging deals in “source” countries.

“The UK and Ireland are highly attractive destinations for illegal immigrants and organised crime (OC) groups who facilitate illegal immigration,” said the EU Organised Crime Threat Assessment 2008, conducted by Europol.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/irishexaminer/pages/story.aspx-qqqg=ireland-qqqm=ireland-qqqa=ireland-qqqid=71057-qqqx=1.asp