The Government must end its “degrading” and “dangerous” practice of leaving newly arrived male asylum seekers to sleep rough until accommodation becomes available, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan has been told.
A letter sent to Mr O’Callaghan on Wednesday afternoon, signed by more than 100 civil society, cultural, religious and community groups from across the country, urged the Minister for Justice to end his department’s “harmful policy” of leaving single male immigrants who have come to Ireland seeking protection to sleep on the streets.
Forcing new arrivals to sleep rough was “not only harmful, it is dangerous”, warned the letter, seen by The Irish Times. “The risks are severe. Camps have been attacked, tents slashed and men threatened and filmed by far right agitators spreading hate. Instead of offering safety, the State’s approach leaves people exposed to racism and violence.”
The Government’s policy of not guaranteeing accommodation to single male asylum seekers began in December 2023.
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Since then, men not offered accommodation upon arrival are provided with a weekly allowance of €113.80 and given information on charities providing food, tents and drop-in day services.
The latest Department of Justice data shows 722 single male international protection applicants (IPAs) are “awaiting an offer of accommodation” – down from 3,500 last March. A justice spokesman said while the number of asylum applicants had dropped in recent months, the “rate is still high” and the International Protection Accommodation Service is “not in a position to provide accommodation to all single males making an application at the IPO”.
In August last year, the High Court ruled the State had failed in its duty to provide for the basic needs of international protection applicants, following a case brought by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC).
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However, the finding that the State’s failure to provide accommodation was a breach of their fundamental right to dignity was overturned after a Court of Appeal ruling in July.
Volunteers supporting rough-sleeping asylum seekers say men in tents are regularly moved on by gardaí, but not given an alternative location to pitch their tents.
A spokesman for An Garda Síochána said it was a criminal offence to pitch a tent on public land or private land without consent and said the force had “an obligation to respond to complaints about encampments”.
Depending on the situation, people may be moved on, requested to remove their tents or tents may be seized if there is a refusal to move, he said.
The primary role of gardaí who attend these call-outs was to “prevent a breach of the peace or any public order incident”. Providing accommodation to people sleeping rough was “not a core function” of gardaí, he said.
The letter sent to Mr O’Callaghan, which was co-ordinated by the Hope and Courage Collective, stated additional capacity had become available within the accommodation system, so this makes leaving men on the streets “unnecessary and indefensible”.
It urged the Minister to “end this harmful policy and instead uphold Ireland’s values of dignity, fairness, compassion – ensuring that all who seek protection here are met with safety and solidarity”.
Cyane Walker, a member of Dublin 6 For All and who lives in Mr O’Callaghan’s constituency and supports newly arrived asylum seekers sleeping rough, described the practice of not offering accommodation to single men as “cruel and unnecessary”, saying: “People need to be provided with safe shelter upon arrival.”
Irish Refugee Council chief executive Nick Henderson, who signed the letter, said additional accommodation was now available given the number of arrivals had decreased.
“It is unthinkable that people seeking protection, volunteers and support organisations should have to endure a third winter of this situation.”
