UK's Rwanda bill causes increasing influx of migrants to Ireland: Irish foreign minister

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Ireland's Foreign Minister Micheal Martin has said the UK's controversial Rwanda policy was already "impacting on Ireland," as many asylum seekers are pouring into the country from Northern Ireland over the fear of deportation.

"Maybe that’s the impact it was designed to have," Martin told the British daily Telegraph.

His remarks came after Ireland's Justice Minister Helen McEntee on Thursday told a parliament scrutiny committee that more than 80% of recent asylum seekers in Ireland crossed into the country from the UK.

Martin noted the policy was already "impacting on Ireland" as asylum seekers were "fearful" of staying in the UK due to the Rwanda Bill.

The Rwanda Bill, seeking to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, has become law after it received royal assent on Thursday.

One of the most controversial migration policies of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government, the Rwanda plan has sparked international criticism and mass protests across the UK.

The law will have to address concerns raised by the UK Supreme Court, which had ruled as unlawful the government's original plan to send asylum seekers to the East African country of Rwanda.

It also compels judges to regard Rwanda as a safe country and gives Cabinet ministers the power to disregard parts of the Human Rights Act.

In January 2023, Sunak said tackling small boats, carrying irregular migrants across the English Channel from France, was among the top five priorities of his government after more than 45,000 people reportedly used the route to enter the UK in 2022.