Ms Edel McGinley:

I thank the committee for the invitation. For more than 20 years, MRCI has been working to challenge injustice with people in precarious and poorly regulated employment sectors, with undocumented people and with victims of trafficking.

Throughout history, people have risked everything in the hope of a better life. Most of us believe all people deserve to live in peace and safety, free from fear and danger. Whether we are black, white or brown, have lived here all our lives or come here seeking safety, most of us just want to make a better life for ourselves and our families.

Ireland is a country with a long history of migration. When times have been challenging, people the length and breadth of the country have moved to seek a better future for themselves and their families, and we continue to do this. In the past two years, many local communities have led the way in treating people coming to our shores in the way we would want to be treated. From Tidy Towns to men's sheds, ordinary decent people put out a hand of welcome. If any one of us feared for our life or for our family, we would like to know there are others who would help us to safety.

By having a fair asylum process, we can do that. We can show that when people are in harm’s way, we will do the right thing. When we treat people seeking asylum with compassion and dignity, they can get on with rebuilding their lives in our communities. We cannot let a few bullies distract us, whip up fear and spread dangerous lies about those of us who are different because of where we come from. We cannot fall into this trap.

Our policies for people seeking asylum should respect human dignity, but the Government is choosing to sign up to a system that will erode rights and dignity. This arbitrary group approach disregards the many reasons people may have been forced to move and the difficulties they face on their journeys. All people deserve to have a system that fairly examines their individual case in a safe space, with time and legal support to assert their rights.

These worrying proposals also extend to people living and working in Ireland long term. It means that people could be singled out on the street because they look different. It means people's right to due process is under threat. The potential for harm to people and communities is immense.

The solidarity measures may see wealthy countries like Ireland simply pay from our large budget surplus and not support our fair share of people. Doing what is right means upholding solidarity and fairness. We cannot turn an issue of human rights into pay-offs and political bickering. We need to remember that human rights are the tools we all rely on for our basic rights and freedoms. They belong to every person from birth until death. We cannot simply allow these to be eroded by a few people who have managed to spread fear and disinformation and baited politicians to adopt regressive and restrictive policies such as this one.

We all have a stake in making the world a safer place and in doing our fair share. People need a chance to rebuild their lives and integrate into our communities, and the State needs to also invest in the material needs of local communities so that all can flourish and prosper.

Most of us believe that immigrants contribute to our culture, community and workplaces, and that we are all the better off because of it. We call on the committee to ensure Ireland rejects regressive policies that row back on human rights and dignity in all their forms for all people.