Immigrants to face instant deportation for serious crime

Non-EU nationals who commit serious crimes, including traffic and drug offences, will face instant deportation under new measures…

Non-EU nationals who commit serious crimes, including traffic and drug offences, will face instant deportation under new measures proposed by the Minister for Justice Michael McDowell.

The measures contained in the proposed Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill will also require non-EU nationals seeking to live and work in Ireland to carry residence permits containing biometric data.

It will be an offence not to carry the credit card-sized permit at all times but gardai will take into account if a card is lost or stolen.

The biometric data will be personalised information, such as a finger print or iris scan, contained in a computer chip on the card.

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The Bill will also "stipulate that one of the conditions of residence in Ireland will be an undertaking to keep the peace" and that the immigrant "be of good behaviour and comply generally with the law of the land, in particular a number of specified laws such as those related to drugs and road traffic".

"Breach of these conditions or association with criminal elements, for example known people traffickers, will lead to a summary process of revocation," said the Minister.

He added that those seeking to come here for protection or naturalisation and then break the law "can't have it both ways".

"Foreign nationals who are given the privilege of visiting this state or of settling here are expected to be of good behaviour and observe our laws," said Mr McDowell.

Mr McDowell was, however, keen to stress that there was not a large problem in Ireland with immigrants breaking the law.

"The vast, vast majority of people who come here seek to participate in our economy. They observe our laws and they work very, very hard. Indeed, sometimes harder than we do ourselves," he added.

Mr McDowell said the measures will provide Government with tools to manage migration effectively.

It is also proposed that asylum-seekers wishing to appeal their asylum decisions will make their claim to a new Protection Review Tribunal which will replace the Refugee Appeal Tribunal.

This new body will have an expanded remit to consider, in addition to appeals against decisions not to grant refugee status, appeals against decisions not to grant subsidiary protection as defined in the EU Qualification Directive.

This expanded remit for the appeals body underpins the State's commitment to those in need of protection. The Scheme also includes other provisions to increase consistency of decision-making and the possibility of full-time members of the Tribunal