Immigrants Concerned Over New Bill

Politicians are considering one of the most fundamental reforms of Irish immigration in modern history.

Proposed by Justice Minister Brian Lenihan TD, the new legislation is being mooted as a necessary measure to see Ireland move forward in implementing immigration and asylum measures.

However, almost 60 different immigrant groups have made submissions to a special Dáil committee expressing their concerns about the proposed Immigration Bill.

The head of the Dáil Justice Committee, Fianna Fáil's Peter Power, says the bill is one of the most important pieces of legislation, which has come before the Oireachtas.

Supporting the bill, Mr Power said: “This Bill is long overdue. It will replace some existing legislation on immigration, which dates back to 1935.

"The Bill is about protecting Ireland from unlawful immigrants but also about giving rights to lawful immigrants, many of which are making important contributions to their communities and their local economies.

"However strong powers must also be given to the Government to deal with the issue of illegal immigrants living in Ireland. The authorities need to be enabled with sufficient powers to deal with this problem. Only then will there be full confidence in our immigration system."

The issues raised by the proposed legislation include the reunification of families, as well as the need for an independent appeals mechanism.

(DW)