Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I want to follow on from the comments on my colleague, Senator Tom Clonan. In doing so, I suggest that at the earliest possible opportunity we arrange a debate on immigration and migration. If one follows social media, one will see there is little doubt that there is a very sinister campaign being waged by some clever individuals to create the impression in the minds of a sometimes unsuspecting public that all immigration is bad - people seek refuge for different reasons, in some cases financial - and that those who come to our shores have a nefarious purpose, and that they are somehow illegitimate individuals who are here to do damage to this country. One regularly hears the notion that people who come here are unvetted and are perpetrators of rape and murder. Unless we, as constitutional parliamentarians, challenge that in an open way, we are going to lose the battle. We have to face it head on and upfront because I am picking it up in my own community. People are starting to worry because there is no pushback against it. As a collective, we tend to not poke that bear. We kind of ignore it and hope it goes away. It is not going away because there is a sinister element and it is represented in the Oireachtas. There are individuals here who are preying on the concerns of people who feel vulnerable in their own community. They may be finding it hard with the cost of living or from a housing perspective. That context is being used by clever agitators. They have mouthpieces in this House.

I am really annoyed by what Senator Keogan posted. It is disgusting. I know three of the individuals. They are three of the finest people one could find anywhere. I ask Senator Keogan to reflect on this. I saw her in the other House last week running to get a ringside seat and to be part of the Joe Biden situation. If she feels so strongly on migration and immigration, she should not have been there. We were celebrating the fact that an Irishman had made it to the highest office in the United States and yet we see this kind of vile language being used against some of our nearest neighbours.