Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Recently, a human rights activist from South Africa spoke about the two-tier system for people seeking international protection. He said:

Even when a country is at war, you don’t suspend any of your prohibitions on equality. [He added] Nigerian children wait weeks and months for documentation so they can attend school, whereas Ukrainian children get documentation promptly from [the] same institutions.

In the short term, there are tens of millions of people who need protection. Will the Taoiseach raise these concerns and statistics at the European Council summit? Will he and other EU leaders continue to turn a blind eye to what is happening on the ground in places such as South Africa? It is unfair to treat little children differently. We should treat them the same. I do not want to see a two-tier system for how we assist people who are seeking our help.

See this speech in context