Republican News · Thursday 25 July 2002

McDowell starts the round ups

Irish citizen of African original who has refugee status and Irish citizenship, and who has lived in this country for five years, woke recently to find five gardaí at his bedside. They were there to search his house and arrest him. He was one of the 120-130 people arrested in recent days in early morning raids by gardaí allegedly targeting 'illegal' immigrants.

For the second time in a week, hundreds of gardaí went out on Tuesday morning and arrested over 100 people and detained them. Last week, the raids concentrated on the Dublin area. It is reported that some 200 guards arrested more than 40 people.

On Tuesday, over 300 gardaí arrested 101 people in areas concentrated in Waterford, Cork and Kerry. Ninety-two people were detained.

At the time of writing 15 of these people have been released. Six from last week's raids and nine from raids this week. Nobody knows at time of going to press how many people are being detained, who they are, upon what basis they are held, or where they are. Goodbye Habeus Corpus.

Not even two months into the job, PD Justice Minister Michael McDowell, has wasted no time in ordering round ups for detention. This includes people, including Irish citizens, about whom there is no evidence presented that they are illegal, except perhaps that in detention they were unable to furnish proof of their visas, work or study permits.

This is how a state with a history of economic emigration (necessarily involving immigration at the other end) enforces its double standard. Does Fortress Europe now need Pass Laws like those practiced in apartheid South Africa? You might well ask.