GOVERNMENT PLANS to establish a detention centre for asylum seekers in the new Thornton Hall prison complex have drawn sharp criticism from groups that say it will result in the detention of people who have not committed any crime.
In a joint statement, the Irish Refugee Council and the Irish Penal Reform Trust said the move represented a worrying move towards the incarceration of asylum seekers.
Robin Hanan, chief executive of the Irish Refugee Council, said: "This appears to be yet another sign of the Government's plans to increase detention of asylum seekers who have not committed a crime. It is always wrong to imprison people who are innocent and not even suspected of any crime."
He added: "Let us remember who asylum seekers are - these are people who have fled their own countries often at great risk and loss to seek protection in Ireland. We would prefer that the Government would instead focus on a fair and transparent asylum process. We genuinely feel that the money spent on detention is a waste of valuable resources."
Liam Herrick, the executive director of the Irish Penal Reform Trust, said the move did not make sense at a time when asylum seeker numbers were consistently dropping.
"The move toward incarcerating immigrants and asylum seekers is worrying," he said. "The construction of Thornton Hall has been surrounded by secrecy. This issue requires public debate and transparency."
The Irish Times reported yesterday that a section of the complex will be available for detaining asylum seekers, as well as foreign nationals who are unlawfully in the State for a limited period before deportation.
However, the Department of Justice says the new complex will merely facilitate the existing practice in the prison system where deportees are detained before their deportation.
It says the new centre will meet a long-standing demand by non-governmental organisations that have objected to deportees being held with convicted offenders or persons accused of criminal acts.
The move to establish the unit comes at a time when human rights groups are expressing concern that new immigration laws will give authorities greater power to detain asylum seekers once they enter the State.
Under the Government's Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill, an asylum seeker can be arrested and detained at the frontier of the State where it is "not practicable" to issue an entry permit. Such people can be held in "a prison or other place of lawful detention".
The State's human rights watchdog, the Human Rights Commission, says the detention of asylum seekers should be avoided.