Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I want to add my support and that of the Civil Engagement Group to this motion. My colleague, Senator Black, who would have loved to be here is, of course, a member of the Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, which has also very clearly communicated its serious concerns.

In this debate, a suite of extraordinarily aggressive steps in policy by the UK regarding the treatment of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers have been correctly identified. We saw that begin with Windrush. I will come to Northern Ireland and the island of Ireland in a moment, but in terms of the general suite of measures, it has been an incredibly sad thing for the UK, which is a place with extraordinary diversity. It has a problematic history of colonialism around the world, yet people from many different origins could go there to make an imprint and shape a diverse future for the United Kingdom. The way those from the EU and the people affected by the Windrush scandal have been treated in the UK is isolating people within the UK. Those seeking to enter or leave are not the only ones affected. I am concerned for our neighbours in respect of the effects of these sets of policies and the damage they do in terms of separating people from their neighbours and honest engagement with their history.

These measures are also, sadly, another example of an extraordinary disregard for the rights and well-being of those citizens in Northern Ireland, in particular those who are not Irish or UK citizens, but rather EU citizens. There is an extraordinary disrespect for the Good Friday Agreement. We have spoken about some of the other issues, such as tourism. People who visit Grianan of Aileach also go to Derry. They are almost the same thing and involve the same tour.

There are also practical ways in which quality of life is being damaged in terms of co-operation. We have spoken about tourism, but all of the all-Ireland bodies will now face new obstacles, jeopardies and embarrassments in terms of their international co-operation measures. Senator Joe O'Reilly mentioned concrete measures in terms of health co-operation. The multiple unnecessary difficulties, obstacles and damages that could be created by a measure like this are substantial.

Core to the Good Friday Agreement is human rights. Human rights, and the entitlement of persons right across the island to an equivalent standard of human rights, is a fundamental pillar of the Good Friday Agreement. That is massively important. What is happening is concerning on two levels. There is a human rights breach within the Act, because the Act is not in line with international law and human rights. There are multiple examples, but the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, has highlighted how it violates the refugee convention. The Law Society in the UK said it is violating the refugee convention. The UK's equality impact assessment of the Act found it would produce discrimination on the grounds of race and nationality. Racial profiling has been highlighted in that regard. It is fundamentally at odds with international human rights laws and laws on the treatment of migrants. It also diminishes the rights of relationship. The practical human rights of everybody on the island are diminished by this.

I take from the Minister his very clear message that we do not need to have a hard border return. The measures are very clear. If we start talking about particular waivers being sought, we are, in effect, talking about border controls. The electronic system for travel authorization, ESTA, in the US is a check on borders. We are talking about a mechanism becoming a hard border. We are also talking about things like racial profiling in terms of who gets stopped and asked questions.

It is also important that Ireland, at this and every level, continues to resist any race to the bottom in terms of rights, or any race downwards, given the very concerning race downwards in terms of human rights and standards. Ireland needs to be continue to have generous, welcome and inclusive refugee, migrant and asylum policies. We need to demand a rise in standards from those with whom we share a common travel area. I am glad the Minister is supportive of the motion. I support it, and it is an important message for the Seanad to send.