Over 80 per cent of asylum seekers cross border from NI, Minister McEntee confirms

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has said more than 80% of people seeking asylum in the Republic of Ireland cross the land border from Northern Ireland.

"I'd say it's higher than 80%," she said, in response to Fianna Fáil Senator Robbie Gallagher, stating that this is "a significant proportion" of all asylum seekers entering the State.

"That's particularly worrying," he responded.

The minister said that her department liaises with the UK authorities on this issue, and that An Garda Siochána and the Police Service of Northern Ireland also cooperate.

"But this is the challenge that we have, that we have advocated for no border on this island," she said. "But it is absolutely a challenge."

So far this year, Ms McEntee said, over 5,000 people have applied for asylum in Ireland and over half of those are secondary movements.

She said the system is not working. "But it's a system that's not working for anybody," she said. 

"As a country that has significant secondary movement, we are impacted more, perhaps," Ms McEntee said. 

When Ms McEntee confirmed that the figure of those coming South via Northern Ireland was higher than 80 per cent, Senator Gallagher asked: "What does the UK authorities say to us?". 

"We engage with the UK authorities on a regular basis," Ms McEntee said. "We have a common travel area committee which meets on a quarterly basis but we also have continuous engagement between our relevant departments," Ms McEntee said. 

She added that the PSNI work regularly with the gardaí. 

"This is the challenge that we have. We have advocated for no border on this island and I don't think anyone would say that we shouldn't have that situation but it is a challenge," Ms McEntee said. 

She told the Joint Committee on Justice that the solidarity mechanism will see the relocation of 30,000 asylum seekers within the EU - including 648 to Ireland.