Sir, - Maura Leen of Trocaire says (July 21st): "It defies logic to suggest that asylum seekers lightly choose to leave their home countries to live on social welfare in Ireland." It defies belief that Maura Leen does not know that the asylum process is used all over Europe to escape from the "majority world" (previously known as the Third World) to the West. Of course they don't come to live on social welfare, except initially. They want ultimately the right to live and work in the West. The dogs on the road know this and so does Ms Leen. It just suits her lobbyist purposes to be disingenuous.
She praises Liz O'Donnell and denigrates John O'Donoghue. While I acknowledge that Ms O'Donnell has been consistent on the right of asylum seekers to work, readers might like to know that the very quote of Mr O'Donoghue's to which she decries is almost word for word what Liz O'Donnell said (The Irish Times, general election period, last year): "The system of protection for legitimate refugees in danger of being overwhelmed by a flood of economic migrants. It is clear that the Irish refugee process is being abused by economic migrants. Legitimate asylum seekers suffer as a result."
Bishop Kirby of Trocaire himself said, according to press reports, that six of the EU countries allowed asylum seekers to work. If that is true, simple maths will tell you that nine don't, and with very good reason. - Yours, etc.,
Aine Ni Chonaill, PRO, Immigration Control Platform, Clonakilty, Co. Cork.