Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

Last week the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service, INIS, sent a flood of letters to dozens of immigrants in this country who are being refused leave to remain. It is outrageous to threaten them with deportation in the middle of a pandemic. I am particularly concerned that a number of them are care workers. Today I spoke to one who worked right through the pandemic, looking after elderly people in a care home in Kildare.

Her boss spoke of how she gowned up, was at the front line, entered rooms in which people were Covid-positive and barried up with nursing like the rest of them. We are threatening to deport this woman, other care workers and a slew of other immigrants in the middle of a pandemic. How outrageous is that? The Minister has powers under the Immigration Act to revoke those deportation orders. I am asking that the Taoiseach instruct her to do so, that we do not deport anyone during the pandemic and in particular that we do not throw out people who have worked hard to save our lives and protect us.

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