Up to 90% of Ireland’s asylum seekers may have entered from Northern Ireland, data shows
Figures suggest common travel area being exploited in both directions, but particularly UK to Ireland
TL;DR
- Up to 90% of asylum seekers in Ireland may have entered via the Northern Ireland land border in the last three years.
- The Common Travel Area (CTA) is reportedly being exploited in both directions, but may be more popular for asylum seekers heading to Ireland.
- In the past year, the UK Home Office apprehended over 900 individuals abusing the open land border.
- A recent knife attack in Belfast involving an asylum seeker who traveled from Sudan to Paris, then Dublin, before busing to Belfast and claiming asylum, has intensified scrutiny of the CTA.
- The number of asylum seekers in Ireland grew significantly from around 5,000 before 2019 to a peak of 18,500 between 2022 and 2024.
- Without physical border checks, precise numbers of illegal crossings are difficult to verify, but estimates suggest a high proportion enter via the land border.
- The Irish and British governments are cooperating to manage CTA abuses and revive a post-Brexit returns agreement, which was previously delayed due to legal challenges concerning the UK's designation as a safe country.
- Critics have labeled the CTA a 'back door to Britain,' with some calling for the border to be closed.
- Political leaders are grappling with the contentious nature of border issues in Northern Ireland, especially post-Brexit.