large asylum centre<\/a> which was the focus of local protests when asylum seekers were moved in, Cllr de Courcy said, adding that it was \u201calmost unbelievable that the threat posed by a violent person would simply be moved on to another community.<\/p>\nShe said that the Community Engagement Team and the Minister for Justice seemed more concerned with the right of the person in question to anonymity than the safety of the people of Clondalkin.<\/p>\n
\u201cMen like this are being allowed to freely roam the streets of this country. The State has shown no concern for the welfare of residents in areas where these IPAS centres are located,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Cllr de Courcy said she had written to the Community Engagement Team in the Department of Justice and asked them to comment on the contents of the letter.<\/p>\n
Asked if it had been possible to verify the letter, Cllr de Courcy said that neither the Community Engagement Team nor the Department would comment on individual cases, and that she had then submitted a parliamentary question to the Minister through Independent Ireland TD, Ken O\u2019Flynn.<\/p>\n
The response to that question, she said, showed that it was the practice of the Department to rehouse asylum applicants who had broken \u201chouse rules\u201d \u2013 and she said: \u201cwe now know that this also applies to a migrant who has repeatedly threatened to kill a woman.\u201d<\/p>\n
Independent Ireland TD Ken O\u2019Flynn asked the Minister for Justice \u201cthe reason an international protection applicant who had threatened the life of a female staff member at an IPAS facility, was not detained or deported, but moved to another IPAS facility\u201d which he said was \u201cpotentially putting the safety of staff members and local residents at risk\u201d.<\/p>\n
He also asked what measures \u201chave been put in place to protect other residents and locals in this situation\u201d and what procedures are \u201cin place to apprehend and detain an international protection applicant who has been removed from one facility due to violence or the threat of violence against a staff member or resident, and who does not present himself at his new accommodation, as per instructions from the IPAS mobility team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cllr de Courcy said that the Minister\u2019s reply showed that government\u2019s only concern seemed to be with housing asylum applicants, and that while the Minister had responded with assurances that the asylum seeker\u2019s safety and wellbeing was a priority, no such concerns had been expressed for the local community.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a situation where a man has made repeated threats to kill and he is simply moved on, it almost beggars belief,\u201d she said. \u201cThis person should have\u00a0 been deported, not sent to Clondalkin.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Minister\u2019s reply said that \u201cwhile the Department cannot provide information in relation to individual cases, I can assure the Deputy that the safety and wellbeing of all residents and staff in our accommodation centres is a priority for the Department and all IPAS teams.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAn IPAS accommodation centre is a person\u2019s home while their application for international protection is assessed. On arrival at an accommodation centre, people seeking international protection are provided with the \u2018IPAS House Rules\u2019 which explains the rules and procedures that are designed to make reception and accommodation centres safe and effective.<\/p>\n
Should there be a breach of house rules, Section 6 of European Communities (Reception Conditions) Regulations 2018 sets out measures that the Department may take when an individual \u201chas committed, or is committing, a serious breach of the house rules of the place of accommodation\u201d.<\/p>\n
Usually there are a series of reminders about the house rules and or warnings. If breaches continue, it can be necessary to relocate people following repeated warnings.<\/p>\n
Centre management in all IPAS centres all have an ongoing working relationship with the local Garda\u00ed.<\/p>\n
If there is ever any concern in relation to acts of violence or other criminal activity in any IPAS setting, An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na are engaged.<\/p>\n
But Cllr de Courcy said that violent threats needed to be taken seriously: \u201cI care about the people who live in Clondalkin, and their safety. They have a right not to have a man who has engaged in abusive and\u00a0 threatening behaviour. He threatened to kill a woman, something we\u2019re meant to take very seriously, yet the issue was just passed onto another asylum camp,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe total lack of concern for the people who live in Clondalkin is staggering,\u201d she added. \u201cThe Department of Justice to have no concerns with putting Irish people at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n
She pointed to reports obtained under FOI which showed more<\/a> than 1,000 incidents had been recorded in less than 3 years in Citywest including indecent exposure, heroin possession, theft and assault.<\/p>\n\u201cIn Citywest, I know that the IPAS centre has a \u20183 strikes and you\u2019re out\u201d policy,\u00a0 but they are clearly not being sent home, they are just being moved on,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, this case is not a reflection of\u00a0 all persons who come here claiming asylum, but a cohort, mostly men, who are clearly violent are being moved from community to community, and the public are being denied any information,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know how often this is happening \u2013 and where: there are a lot of unanswered questions, Cllr de Courcy said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe other factor is that tens of thousands of people are now being housed in asylum centres and they arrived here without passports or identification, and they are likely just being moved on if these problems arise.\u201d<\/p>\n
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