Paul Murphy: Common Travel Area Excludes Migrants, Calls Reform
Paul Murphy argued an effective hard border already operates on the island because the current Common Travel Area excludes people without UK or Irish citizenship. He urged adoption of the Common Travel Area campaign demands from Northwest Migrants Forum, calling for an end to racial profiling and for restored birthright citizenship.
Claims of an effective hard border
The speaker said the Common Travel Area currently excludes refugees, asylum seekers, partners of citizens and other lawful residents who are not permitted to move freely across the land border - limiting access to work, education, health care, visiting friends, leisure and connecting flights.
Campaign demands
He outlined the four demands advanced by the Common Travel Area campaign by Northwest Migrants Forum - permit all lawful residents to cross the land border as visitors without prior permission; stop racial profiling at the border; restore the pre-2004 birthright to Irish citizenship; and ensure essential cross-border services are open to all.
Examples of practical exclusion
The speech listed practical consequences for excluded people, saying they cannot access jobs or education on the other side of the border or participate in sports events, festivals and cultural events and so on.
Official response and next steps
A respondent rejected the claim that a hard border exists, while accepting there are migrant issues raised by Northwest Migrants Forum. The respondent said questions around racial profiling required deeper analysis and that such analysis would be undertaken.
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There is an effective hard border on this island already which stops people from moving freely for work, to access health care, to visit friends on this island and that is because the current common travel area excludes those without UK or Irish citizenship including refugees, asylum seekers, partners of citizens and more who are not permitted to move freely within the island of Ireland for whatever reason, be it for leisure, tourism, work or connecting flights, they cannot access jobs or education on the other side of the border or participate in anything that is across the border, even sports events, festivals, cultural events and so on. The common travel area campaign by Northwest Migrants Forum is fighting to change that, therefore asks, one, all lawful residents on the island can cross the land border as visitors without prior permission, two, stopping racial profiling at the border, three, restoring the pre-2004 birthright to Irish citizenship and four, ensuring essential cross-border services are open to all. Will you agree with those policies and stop the perpetuation of racists and discriminatory approach? I do not accept there is a hard border, there is an issue around migrant issues, certainly in terms of the Northwestern Migrant Forum, whom I have met, but there is no hard border there either, like in terms of people being racially profiled at the border, I have questions around that, deeper analysis is required and we would undertake that.
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