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Pringle Challenges Migration Myths. We must remember Ireland’s history
- Updated: 1st May 2024
Independent TD for Donegal, Thomas Pringle, slammed the language in a motion on the EU Migration and Asylum Pact, calling it “deceiving and factually incorrect”.
Addressing the Dáil on Wednesday, Deputy Pringle said: “Although I am against the introduction of the EU Migration and Asylum Pact, it is not for the same reasons that the Rural Independent group have outlined in this motion, and so I will not be supporting their motion.”
The deputy said: “I am very disappointed at some of the language in this motion. I believe it is purposely misleading. Language like ‘large-scale immigration’ and ‘open-door asylum seeker policy’ is extremely deceiving and factually incorrect. It is dangerous to suggest that we have an open-door policy in this country or that we are seeing large-scale immigration, when this is clearly not the case.
“The motion claims that we have ‘no legal obligation’ to take in asylum seekers, but what about our human rights obligations? When did we become so cold and unfeeling to those seeking protection? To people seeking our help in their time of need?
“How dare we condemn those who are faced with desperate situations while we sit in our positions of immense privilege. We would do well to remember that we weren’t always in this position and many generations before us turned to other countries for help and for protection in the past,” he said.
The deputy was speaking on Wednesday on the Rural Independent group Motion re European Migration and Asylum Pact.
Deputy Pringle said: “There may come a time in the future when we are once again forced to turn to other countries for assistance. Can you imagine how it would feel to have your presence debated? To have your human rights debased? This is exactly what motions like this do. The motion completely ignores the human beings at the centre of this conversation, and even worse attempts to blame them for issues such as housing, issues that have been present long before this debate and issues that would still be present if every immigrant left tomorrow.
“The motion acknowledges ‘strained public services’ but fails to recognise how much these services actually rely on immigration,” he said.
The deputy said: “The most recent census has shown that labour force participation among non-Irish citizens was higher than for Irish citizens, so claiming that immigrants only exacerbate our issues and strain our services is not only extremely hurtful but actually factually incorrect. Immigrants enrich and contribute to our society and they don’t deserve to be talked about in this way.
“They also don’t deserve to be treated the way they have been by the Irish government or the European Union. We have seen a concerning shift in EU border policy in recent years. A shift away from humanitarian aid and towards hostile policies of surveillance and detention. This shift continues with this EU Migration and Asylum Pact, an incredibly cruel pact that will only lead to more suffering and death for innocent people seeking asylum.
“The pact seeks to subject children to fingerprinting, profiling them at such a young age. This is wrong and a total violation of human dignity. More than 160 organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have expressed concern regarding this pact and I would strongly urge the government to listen and act on these concerns and protect the rights of those coming to Europe, but that will hardly happen,” he said.
