Leo Varadkar, Ireland's prime minister, warned in October that the country had reached the limit of what it could deliver. Photo: ANDREW HARNIK/AP
A majority of people in Ireland want tougher immigration rules to reduce the large number of people entering a country suffering from a housing crisis.
Six in ten voters, or 59 percent, want “ more closed policies,» with 16 percent supporting «more open» policies, according to Saturday's Irish Times/Ipsos B&A poll.
Tensions over immigration are rising in Ireland ahead of a general election this year, and there have been anti-immigrant riots, protests and arson.
Almost half, 48 per cent, thought immigration was generally positive, but voters were concerned about the impact on government services. and housing. About 35 percent responded that it was negative.
Sinn Féin, led by Michelle O'Neill, is on track to win the election by focusing on housing rather than migration. Photo: LIAM McBURNEY/PA
More than two thirds (69 per cent) said they would have “some concerns” about housing asylum seekers in their area, according to the survey.
According to the latest annual survey migration survey by the Economic and Social Research Institute, immigration to Ireland increased by 31 percent in the year to April 2023.
Between April 2022 and April 2023, 141,600 immigrants entered Ireland. , the highest since it peaked at 151,100 in 2007.
Population growth of nearly 2 percent to just under 5.3 million was the largest since 2008 year, if emigration is taken into account.
Labor shortages, the recovery from Covid and the war in Ukraine have all been factors in the increase in the number of people arriving in a country suffering from one of the worst housing problems in Europe .
Leo Varadkar, Ireland's prime minister, warned in October that the country was at the limit of the support it could offer refugees. The government has been forced to house some migrants in tents.
Earlier this year, Dublin tightened rules for Ukrainian refugees, placing a 90-day limit on how long they can enjoy free housing and cutting benefits for those who lives in social housing.
In a country with a long and painful history of immigration, there has been a series of arson attacks on premises associated with housing migrants.
Riots spread across Dublin in response for the stabbing of three children by an Algerian Photo: PETER MURPHY/AFP
The riots occurred in November last year when an Algerian who had acquired Irish citizenship allegedly stabbed to death three schoolchildren and a teacher. in Dublin.
Sinn Féin is on track to win the election and form the next government. An Irish Times poll on Saturday showed Sinn Féin supporters were much tougher on immigration than other parties.
They were the only ones who thought immigration overall had been a negative for Ireland.
The Sinn Féin leadership has focused on housing and the promise to build more homes rather than migration.
On Thursday, the latest poll showed support for left-wing Sinn Féin had fallen by six percentage points to 28 percent. this is the lowest decline for three years.
The former political wing of the IRA remains eight points ahead of Fianna Fail and nine points ahead of Fine Gael, the two parties in the centre-right coalition government.< /p>
Carol Nolan, a former member of Sinn Féin, is an independent member of the Irish Parliament for the Rural Independent Group.
She said: “I think this will be the number one election issue. And I believe that the electorate will punish the government for not listening to them on this issue and not representing their interests in this matter.»
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