Cavan at risk of becoming ‘the new Calais’ as migrants try to access UK through the North, warns Fianna Fáil
POLITICIANS are warning that Cavan will become the new Calais unless Ireland begins to take Brexit seriously.
Calais, the port in the north of France, saw thousands of migrants create a ‘Jungle’ camp as they waited to get into Britain.
Fianna Fáil Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation spokesman Niall Collins warned that the closure of Britain’s borders will see large numbers of immigrants try to enter the UK through the border with the Republic.
Meanwhile, republican sources told the Irish Mail on Sunday that they expect cross-border smuggling of goods and people to increase as a result of Britain’s decision to leave the EU.
Mr Collins said: ‘Britain is the most sought-after destination for immigrants because many nationalities have significant communities in the UK where they can go and integrate with their own people,’ he added.
‘The big conversation is about a soft border or a hard border. But what does a soft border mean? Will it mean that we will become a route for refugees seeking access to the UK? And will Cavan become the new Calais? It would be my concern that it will.
‘Any border will be a hard border with significant impediments to free movement because of the issue of immigration.
‘None of the Brexit debate to date has focused on this. There will be a huge financial cost to Ireland for dealing with an influx of refugees or economic migrants seeking to transit into the UK.’
The Calais Jungle – which was cleared last October – was the name given to an illegal encampment at the French port. Many who lived in this camp attempted to enter Britain illegally via the Port of Calais or the Eurotunnel.
Irish authorities have referred some 300 foreign nationals suspected of ‘immigration-related abuse’ to their British counterparts over the past two years.
According to Department of Justice figures, almost 550 foreign nationals were detained after trying to enter Ireland illegally through the border.
Meanwhile, a former senior IRA figure predicted Brexit will further increase levels of illegal cross-border activity. ‘No matter how hard the border is, people will get in and out of it and over it when they want to,’ he said.
Last month, the PSNI chief constable George Hamilton criticised Ireland’s border controls: ‘Immigration controls into the Republic of Ireland may not have the same resource or focus that we would be seeing in Northern Ireland.’
But Department of Justice figures dismissed his comments, saying close co-operation between the jurisdictions had reduced the incidence of illegal crossings.