Ireland’s new prime minister-elect Simon Harris has promised a “firmer” approach to immigration. The Fine Gael leader, who will face a general election by March 2025 at the latest, denied that the coalition government had failed to address immigration concerns.
However, he admitted there had been “moments of crisis” – a reference to the surge in anti-migrant protests this year. Mr Harris, who at 37 will be the youngest ever Taoiseach, said the government in Dublin had to do a better job of listening to communities.
He told Sky News: “Ireland gets immigration. We’re a country that used to see many people leave our shores and go abroad to seek a better life.
“Now we’re a country in which people wish to come to make a better life, but we do need a fair and firm system.
“It is true to say that there are some people who seek to exploit moments of crisis, but there’s also a need for government to do a better job in terms of listening to communities and engaging with communities.”
In a speech to supporters on Saturday evening, Mr Harris said: “This will be a firmer system – it will ensure those who need our help will get it, but it will also ensure those who are not entitled to come to this country get a decision quickly and leave quickly as well.”
He added that Ireland needs to “to move away from the emergency use of hotels for housing asylum seekers”.
The growing number of protests have turned immigration into a leading political issue for the first time in Ireland.
Last November, Dublin city centre was the scene of riots due to concerns and anger over mass migration.
At the end of March, thousands took to the streets in the heart of Coolock, Ireland, in vehement opposition to the government’s decision to house 500 asylum seekers in a former paint warehouse.
During the protest, young men on horseback and in balaclavas were seen directing a crowd of thousands under the campaign slogan ‘Coolock Says No’.
The Republic has seen over a dozen acts of arson on various refugee centres throughout the past year.
The opposition to migration has been linked to a housing crisis in a country where rent and property prices are among the highest in Europe.
Asylum seekers make up a small portion of immigrants to Ireland — 13,000 in 2023 — but they are often a flashpoint since the government has a legal obligation to ensure they are housed.
The arrival of more than 100,000 Ukrainian refugees since 2022 has also added to the pressure on housing.
