Bríd Smith condemns deportation threats to pandemic care workers
Bríd Smith spoke about letters sent by Innes that threaten deportation for dozens of immigrants refused leave to remain, and called the action outrageous amid the COVID-19 pandemic. She highlighted that some recipients are care workers who worked on the front line and urged the Taoiseach to instruct the minister to use powers under the Immigration Act to revoke deportation orders.
Allegations of deportation notices
She said last week Innes sent a flood of letters to dozens of immigrants who are being refused leave to remain, threatening them with deportation in the middle of a pandemic.
Care workers highlighted
She highlighted a care worker who worked through the pandemic in a care home in Kildare, entering rooms with COVID-positive patients and providing frontline nursing care, who now faces a deportation threat.
Call for ministerial action
She argued the minister has powers under the Immigration Act to revoke those deportation orders and asked the Taoiseach to instruct the minister to do so, urging that no one be deported during a pandemic.
Offer to assist affected people
She said she did not have the specifics of every case but invited people to send details to her office so she can pursue engagement with the minister on their behalf.
Public health and moral concerns
She framed the deportation threats as both a public health issue and a moral wrong, saying it is particularly unacceptable to deport people who have worked to protect others during the pandemic.
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Margaret, Taoiseach last week a flood of letters were sent out by Innes to dozens of immigrants in this country who are being refused leave to remain. This is an outrageous act to threaten them with deportation in the middle of a pandemic, but I'm particularly concerned that a number of them are care workers, one of whom I spoke to today who worked right through the pandemic looking after our elderly in a care home in Kildare. And her boss speaks of her. She gowned up, she was in the front line, she entered rooms where people were COVID positive, she buried up with nursing like the rest of us. And we are threatening to deport this woman and other care workers and indeed a slew of immigrants in this country in the middle of a pandemic. How outrageous is that? The minister has powers under the Immigration Act to revoke those deportation orders and I'm asking that you instruct her to do so. that we don't deport anyone in a pandemic and we particularly don't throw out people who have worked hard to save our lives and to protect us. I don't have the specifics of the particular cases, but if you can send them to me and to my office, we'll see what we can do to engage with the minister in relation to them. Thank you.
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