BIG READ: Tipperary refugees to be moved to Birr against locals' wishes

The lives of several refugee families in Borrisokane have been thrown up in the air after receiving a letter from a governmental Department last week.

The ten families in Riverside Apartments in Borrisokane were told by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth that they will be moved out of their homes by September 5th and transferred to the IPAS Centre in Elm Grove House in Birr.

The families are very happy in Borrisokane and well assimilated, having lived in the town for five years. They don't want to move.

They are strongly supported in this by the local community.

The refugees were previously told they would be moved out by July 26th but a hold was put on this, which raised their hopes of being allowed to stay indefinitely. However, last week's letter shattered that hope.

The decision has been described as “a disgrace” by Deputy Alan Kelly who said "The decision by the Government to give deadlines to the residents of the IPA riverside centre in Borrisokane to move out is a disgrace.

"This is the very opposite of integration which is what this Department is supposed to be about.

"These residents now have status and the company that owns these apartments should be contracted to take HAP once such residents get such status. This should be part of any IPA contracts around the country. Companies should have to take HAP where applicable for a 3-5 year period after providing an IPA service.

"This recent decision goes completely against the agreement with the local people that was made in 2019 that the new residents would be allowed to stay in the town of Borrisokane.

"What is even more frustrating is that the government are totally contradicting themselves in moving the residents from one IPA centre just up the road to another IPA centre in Birr. What is the actual point of this? It makes no sense.

"This Government and their supporters need to explain why they are treating these residents and the community of Borrisokane with such contempt and disrespect and why they actually don’t practice what they preach; namely that integration should mean integration," said Deputy Kelly.

The Borrisokane Liaison Committee, set up a few months ago to fight for the refugees' right to remain where they are, told The Midland Tribune that they are bitterly disappointed.

“A few weeks back,” said Mags Donnelly, PRO of the committee, “our hopes and spirits were indeed high as the residents were issued letters of a pause on their evictions only days before the date for them to leave. Now our hopes have been crushed and our hearts are heavy. Last week a letter was received by those same residents that they are to be moved on by the 5th of September.”

She said about 30 of the families' children are attending the town's National School and Community College.

“The letters arrived when the children were happily preparing to go back to their schools to start a new year with their teachers and friends, their parents having purchased new books and uniforms.”

Mags said the Department of Integration has “refused to meet with us to listen to what we have to say. We are also very disappointed with the Taoiseach Simon Harris. A few weeks ago he visited the area and said he was very sympathetic to our cause. Last week we got a letter from the Taoiseach's office saying he has a full calendar and therefore can't meet us.

“Shuffling humans around from one place to another like a deck of cards, is not a humane or long-term solution.

“Elm Grove House is an emergency IPAS centre and this is temporary accommodation, therefore this will then entail these families being moved on again. It is beyond any comprehension why this is happening. The government is simply increasing people's misery.

“Our agreement, when it was made in 2019 with the Department and company which owns the property, offered a solution to everyone. It gave the families a stable long term home to become active residents of a community, to join in the sporting groups in the area, attend the schools, attend local facilities. As part of our 2019 agreement families would be allowed to remain in the apartments if they so wished under the HAP scheme, if they qualified, or through private rental. However, that agreement is being reneged upon.

“The governmental Department is making a short-sighted decision and cannot see the long term negative emotional and mental impact it is exacting on the children, women and men. The adults and teenagers who can't drive and are working full-time and part-time will also have to leave their jobs.”

Borrisokane Liaison Committee is continuing to seek a meeting with Minister Roderic O'Gorman to sit down and properly address this issue. The committee is calling on the Minister to listen to what is being said “from a community that has done the right thing from the start. We think it's very possible that a new group of asylum seekers will be moved into Riverside Apartments.”

The PRO added that the current families have tried over the years to get alternative accommodation in the area but it is non-existent. There are 20 families, about 90 people, in Riverside. While ten of the families are being moved to Birr the other ten haven't been told yet what will happen to them. Some of the residents have been awarded Irish citizenship.

“Unfortunately,” added the PRO, “it would seem that the Department is not listening to the Councillors or Deputies fighting our cause on our behalf.

“Our situation is unique compared to that of other Centres across the country because of the written agreement that was made back in 2019.

"Our fight is not only about leaving the residents remain where they are but to also honour the agreement that was made.

"The government was first in the door in 2019 when they wanted us to work with them, now they are avoiding us as we stand alone with our agreement that we worked so hard to obtain in 2019.”

In 2019 representatives of the Nenagh Municipal Area, its executive, Department of Justice Principal Officer, Dept representatives and the property's Management spent three long days in the Civic Offices in Nenagh thrashing out an agreement that could and indeed did make sure that the then Asylum Seekers were given a warm welcome by the community, and they would be fully integrated; as this was a strong request by both the Department and the Liaison Committee (on behalf of the wider community).

"We are proud that since then this has been a huge success. We have been lauded and applauded the length of the country for our approach," the PRO said.

“As part of the agreement we also insisted on families only.

“An integral part of our agreement was, and is, that if and when these families received their status they would be allowed to continue to live in the Riverside Centre, be it under HAP or private rental payment, if they so desired. Our 2019 agreement was signed off by a then senior official of the Dept of Justice on behalf of all parties involved. This is our agreement. It must be honoured by all parties, including the Government!” she added.