The number of people seeking asylum in Ireland has increased by a massive 700 per cent in just a year., it has emerged.
The Mirror has established that some 4896 people sought asylum in Ireland from January to the end of May this year – compared to just approximately 600 in the same period in 2021.
The Department of Justice last night confirmed there had been a seven-fold increase – amid speculation that one reason for the hike was the United Kingdom’s controversial decision to start sending asylum seekers to Rwanda.
Sources told The Mirror that government officials believed the increase could, in part, be blamed on that decision – which is still being battled in the courts.
Although the deal between the UK and Rwanda was only formally struck by British Home Secretary Priti Patel in April, it had been in the offing for weeks - and sources said they suspected the fear caused to prospective asylum seekers was one reason for the increase.
“We do believe the Rwanda plan is having an effect,” one source said last night.
But they also said that another reason for the increase in recent months was that many people planning to flee their own countries were unable or unwilling to for the last two years because of COVID – so there was an increase now that the disruption caused by the pandemic had reduced around the world.
A spokesman for the Department of Justice, which oversees the International Protection Office that oversees the asylum process in Ireland, last night told The Mirror it would not comment on individuals' reasons for seeking refuge here.
But he added: “The International Protection Office (IPO) of the Department examines applications for international protection in accordance with the International Protection Act 2015 and makes appropriate recommendations to the Minister on whether or not an applicant should be granted an international protection status (refugee status or subsidiary protection status).
“As of the end of May 2022, 4,896 applications for International Protection in Ireland were received.
“This represents a 700% increase on the same period in 2021 and a 164% increase on the same period in 2019, the last year in which application numbers were not impacted by Covid-19.”
Figures released to The Mirror show there were 2649 asylum applications for the whole of 2021 – and 4896 for the first five months of this year.
There were also 4781 claims in total for the whole of 2019 – the last year before the pandemic.
And Nick Henderson, Chief Executive Officer of the Irish Refugee Council, last night told The Mirror that Rwanda was one possible reason for people coming to Ireland – but there were other reasons, too.
He said: “There is an increase in the number of people seeking protection across Europe, so what Ireland is experiencing is not unique.
“There are trends of greater instability in the world, which is forcing people to move.
“And during the pandemic people did not have the opportunity to move and now they have the opportunity.”
But he also conceded it was possible Rwanda had an effect on Ireland -and said the British and Irish systems did not work in isolation.
Mr Henderson said: “People make individual choices. I certainly cannot say it is because of the UK system alone, but I would imagine it is partly to do with that.
“It may be a contributory factor, but I would be very cautious in saying it is the only reason for it.”
