Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Government is wrong to adopt the EU migration pact. That it did not even consider, it seems, exercising Ireland's opt-out from any element of the pact is shocking. Migration is a challenging issue. We must, of course, respect international law and co-operate with other states but, ultimately, migration policy must be set by an Irish Government elected by the Irish people. We must retain the flexibility we currently have. Only by retaining the powers to make our own decisions on migration will we have a rules-based system that is properly managed and fair, that applies common sense and common decency and that recognises the unique challenges Ireland faces. The reality of the common travel area with Britain has not been calculated or considered at all by the Government, it seems. Retaining the power to make decisions in Ireland - standing up for Irish sovereignty - is a key principle in a healthy relationship with the European Union. It informs our position regarding retention of powers in Ireland on taxation, on foreign affairs and defence and on migration. In each of these cases, power should remain with the Irish Government.

The world is, as has been said, experiencing an ever-increasing rate of instability and volatility and this is a major factor in how the issue of migration manifests itself in the here and now. Putin's criminal invasion of Ukraine has seen the largest displacement of people in Europe since the Second World War, dramatically increasing the number of people seeking refuge across the EU. The impact of climate change, persecution, war, famine and natural disaster sees people flee the global south for their lives and run the gauntlet of conflict, boiling hot deserts, human traffickers, sexual violence and extortion. Thousands have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea attempting to make it to Europe in search of safety and sanctuary. This human catastrophe is born of global inequality and injustice that has persisted for generations, an inequality rooted in western colonialism and its devastating legacy of exploitation of resources, structural disadvantage, construction of divisions that fuel conflict and civil war, and the failure of the West to address these injustices. Becoming a refugee is a desperate act of survival. Those seeking refuge in Ireland must be treated with respect and dignity, their human rights fully vindicated. A fully resourced, efficient immigration system is central to vindicating those rights. A transparent system of rules, rules which are enforced, is at the heart of protecting the vulnerable and ensuring a system that works and enjoys public confidence and public support.

The truth is the Government has failed to plan and resource a functioning immigration system and that failure belongs to this Government alone, just as the Government failure to provide homes, medical care, childcare and so many other basic essentials to our citizens also rests with the Government. Those who would seize on Government failure in order to whip up fear, tension and division are wrong. They want to punch down instead of up, to blame the immigrant for everything and the Government for nothing, it seems. The reality is the Government's approach has been utterly shambolic, a chaotic mess, evidenced best by the tent cities that sprung up in Mount Street and along the banks of the Grand Canal here in Dublin. It is, therefore, no surprise that people wonder whether anybody competent is in charge. The Government has caused a scenario of division and tension within communities. It has caused ordinary people who have no truck with bigotry or racism, but who are concerned, to feel isolated and unheard for fear of being branded a racist should they open their mouths. That is wrong. The lack of proper community consultation from the Government has been a disaster, and those on the Government benches should take responsibility for it. They have served to fan the flames of distrust and tension. Just as they correctly call out the far right, the hard right or those who seek to weaponise resource shortages against vulnerable people, their responsibility for this mess has to be named and identified also.

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