COLLISION COURSE..
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IRELAND and the UK are on a collision course over asylum with Helen Mcentee to pledge today that failed refugees will be sent back to Britain.
It comes as UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said his country is “not interested” in any such arrangement.
The Justice Minister will seek approval at Cabinet to pen legislation that will designate the UK as a “safe country for returns”.
Sources said last night Ms Mcentee “intends that returns to the UK will recommence once the law is enacted”.
This is despite an insistence by Mr Sunak yesterday the UK is “not going to do that”.
He made the remarks hours after his Home Secretary James Cleverly pulled out of a meeting with Ms Mcentee in London due to a “diary clash”.
In retaliation, she ditched the British-irish Intergovernmental Conference which she was meant to attend with Tanaiste Micheal Martin.
The High Court ruled last month that Ireland’s designation of the UK a safe country in the aftermath of Brexit was “unlawful”. This was mainly due to the UK’S “Rwanda policy”, which will deport some immigrants to the African country.
At last week’s Cabinet meeting, ministers decided to fast-track applications from Nigeria – the country with the highest level of asylum applications in the previous three months.
Their papers are being assessed within 12 weeks alongside the applications of people from 10 other “safe” countries.
Government sources told the Irish Mirror it is believed the majority of Nigerian nationals seeking asylum in Ireland are coming from the UK.
It is expected the accelerated procedure will have an “immediate impact” on arrivals. Ms Mcentee will also update the Cabinet on steps to prevent “abuse” of the Common Travel Area between Ireland and the UK.
It is understood she will provide an update on the work of An Garda Siochana who are responsible for running operations and are working closely with the PSNI.
It was announced last month the Department of Justice would take over the immigration registration function from gardai.
This will free up 100 additional
Returns to the UK will recommence when law is enacted
We’re not going to accept returns from the EU via Ireland
officers for frontline enforcement work, including deportations. It was reported last week that 80% of people seeking asylum at the International Protection Office in Dublin had come from the UK across the border.
This led to the Government and Mr Martin blaming the UK’S controversial Rwanda policy for the influx.
Yesterday, Mr Sunak ruled out co-operating with the Government.
During an interview with ITV News when asked if he would negotiate a “returns scheme”. Mr Sunak added: “I’m not interested in that. We’re not going to accept returns from the EU via Ireland when the EU doesn’t accept returns back to France where illegal migrants are coming from.
“Of course, we’re not going to do that. I’m determined to get our Rwanda scheme up and running because I want the deterrent.”
Asked if we would negotiate with the EU on a returns mechanism, Mr Sunak insisted he would not.
When asked for a response to his British counterpart’s statement, a spokesman for Taoiseach Simon Harris said: “Ireland already shares a common travel area with the UK.
“We are looking at legislation to facilitate the 2020 arrangement that was in place up until last month when the High Court ruled the UK couldn’t be designated a safe country.”
On Sunday, Mr Harris insisted Ireland would not “provide a loophole for anybody else’s migration challenges”.
Tensions first started to grow between the Irish and British Governments last week when the Tanaiste blamed the UK’S Rwanda policy for the increase people seeking asylum in Ireland.
The Irish Mirror asked the Department of Justice to provide a figure for how many migrants had crossed the Northern Irish border after travelling from Britain.
It said there have been 6,739 applications for International Protection at the IPO to date in 2024.
The North’s Secretary of State Chris Heaton-harris said yesterday he was “comfortable” with the plans by Ms Mcentee.
He added: “I believe, as the Tanaiste has explained, that this isn’t emergency legislation.”
Conservative MP Mr Heaton-harris also moved to dismiss suggestions that the row could destabilise British-irish relationships.
He added: “There is no way that we would want to upset our relationship with Ireland in this space.”
There is no way we would want to upset our relationship with Ireland CHRIS HEATON-HARRIS ON PLANS YESTERDAY