Operation to remove migrant camp from Dublin’s Grand Canal under way
The Grand Canal encampment emerged shortly after more than 200 asylum seekers were cleared from a similar makeshift camp at the nearby International Protection Office on Mount Street last week.
Asylum seekers had pitched up to 100 tents there in recent days, a short walk from the nearby International Protection Office.The operation comes just a week after efforts to remove a large number of tents from Mount Street, where asylum seekers had been living for months.Barriers have been erected around the canal area this morning, in a similar approach to the Mount Street operation last week. .In a distinctly quicker operation than last week, teams of people are picking up the tents and clearing the area, while a large number of asylum seekers were boarding buses by 7.30am.There are a number of stakeholders involved in this operation.A statement from the Government confirmed that an operation by the Departments of Integration and Justice, An Garda Síochána, Dublin City Council, HSE and Waterways Ireland is now underway to relocate the asylum seekers.A Government spokesperson said: “The purpose of the operation is to ensure the safe movement of people seeking international protection from the tents on the Grand Canal to International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS)-designated accommodation.“The IPAS-designated accommodation has toilets and showers; health services; indoor areas where food is provided; facilities to charge phones and personal devices; access to transport to and from Dublin City Centre; and 24-hour onsite security.”Speaking in the Dáil on Wednesday, Taoiseach Simon Harris said the similar operation last week had a “very positive impact” and averted a “public health near-emergency”.He said: “I continue to believe that it was the right action to take. I became Taoiseach four weeks ago, I took charge of this situation.“There had been, in my view, a tacit acceptance by many State agencies that the situation on Mount Street could just continue and was just the new norm. That was not right.”He added: “We will deal with the Grand Canal. Action will be taken.”The second relocation in a week comes as the Irish Independent reported that asylum-seekers in Dublin were offered an extra daily allowance to leave their tents and find private accommodation.The offer to pay the extra allowance was made with the added incentive that those who accept it will be provided with non-tented accommodation when the capacity shortage has passed.However, it was described as “pathetic” by Labour TD Aodhán Ó Ríordáin.It is understood a notice had been posted in the offices of the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS), where it can by seen by asylum-seekers.A photograph of the notice, seen by the Irish Independent, shows it states the IPAS is experiencing an accommodation capacity shortage and is unable to accommodate all applicants. It then states that “some residents in IPAS tented accommodation have indicated they would prefer to take up an increased weekly allowance payment totalling €113.80”.There is an apparent inference that these people would depart the system.The notice stated: “Any [applicant] who wishes to voluntarily depart IPAS tented accommodation during the current accommodation capacity shortage will be eligible to receive an increase to the Daily Expense Allowance (DEA) in the amount of €75 per week, bringing the total payment to €113.80 per week.“When the capacity shortage has passed, a new offer of accommodation will be made to those who take up this option. This offer will not be to tented accommodation, but will be for standard accommodation.”An email address linked to the Department of Equality and Integration appeared at the end of the notice. It asks those who want to enquire about the offer to use the term “DEA offer” in their subject line.Commenting on the notice yesterday, Mr Ó Ríordáin said it looked like the Government was “trying to buy people off”.He said: “Is this the approach? Is this the answer? It’s absolutely pathetic. It sounds again like a department who have absolutely no concept of how to deal with this issue long term.“Giving people a few bob so they won’t add to the statistics. It’s disgusting. Anybody looking at that would realise that it’s firefighting. It’s not coherent and it’s not going to work.”
