"We cannot stop people coming into this country seeking asylum." That's according to Sinn Fein TD for Cavan-Monaghan, Deputy Pauline Tully when asked about Ireland's immigration crisis on today's Joe Finnegan Show. According to Deputy Tully, the border "cannot return" to being a hard border, particularly after Brexit negotiations were carried out to ensure that did not happen.
Deputy Tully says that whoever comes into this country seeking asylum whether it be via the border, airports or ferries, they must be processed in a fair, efficient and enforced way. She added that improvement is "immensely needed" when it comes to dealing with the applications of those seeking asylum.
"Do don't know exactly how many people are coming in that way? I don't think we do," said Deputy Tully. "Percentages were thrown out last week by Justice Minister Helen McEntee which were disputed then by the Tánaiste so I'm not sure if they even know how many are actually using the border as a way of coming into this country. We cannot stop people coming into this country seeking asylum, which just need to immensely improve our system of dealing with applications."
