David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Ireland is a State that welcomes emigrants and recognises the positives of immigration. At the same time, and like all countries, Ireland must operate a transparent and fair immigration system which functions with integrity and is subject to the supervision of the courts. Children who enter the State must, of course, be treated with the greatest of care. However, that is not to say that non-EEA nationals with children who enter the State for the purposes of claiming international protection should be allowed to remain because of their children. I assure the Deputy and the House that the immigration cases of all persons seeking to remain in this State are considered on their individual merits and in accordance with all applicable domestic, EU and international law. We have an obligation to treat persons who arrive in this State with due process and in a fair and transparent manner. That is what we do. However, we also have an obligation to our citizens and those who have been granted immigration permission to be in the State to respond to those who have no legal basis to be here and have availed of all legal options open to them.

One point that I did not emphasise earlier is the European dimension to this issue. Ireland, together with the other member states of the European Union, has committed, under the European pact on immigration and asylum, agreed at the European Council in October 2008, to use only case by case regularisation rather than generalised regulation under national law for humanitarian or economic reasons. The pact commits member states to not engaging in any form of general regularisation of those illegally present in the territory of member states. That means a general amnesty cannot happen. I reiterate, therefore, that it remains Government priority not to introduce an amnesty along the lines suggested for the reasons stated. Ireland is however an open and welcoming society and a place where the law is applied fairly under the supervision of the courts. We look at these instances on a case by case individual humanitarian basis.

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