Sinn Féin would introduce a new dedicated immigration management agency within months, Mary Lou McDonald has said.
Ms McDonald said the agency would “ensure cohesion” around planning, sharing of information, and speedy decision-making.
Sinn Féin wants to operate the agency under a newly formed Department of Justice and Home Affairs.
It would bring personnel from six State agencies to “work in sync” under one department: the Garda National Immigration Bureau; the Border Management Unit; the Immigration Service Delivery Unit; the International Protection Unit; International Protection Accommodation Services (Ipas); and relevant units in the Workplace Relations Commission.
Launching her party’s immigration policy on Thursday, she told reporters: “It will have responsibility for processing applications, enforcement of rules, registration and accommodation.
“We would increase staff and properly resource the new agency to ensure it is equipped to fulfil its tasks.
“The Department of Integration would continue to have responsibility for supporting international protection applicants who receive the asylum status so that they can fully integrate into society, and would work closely with communities to ensure that services and resources are provided.
“The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment will continue to process employment permits as normal for the many workers who are playing a really valuable role in our economy, especially in our health service, and, of course, in our tech sector.”
Earlier this year, Ms McDonald announced that Sinn Féin had conducted an internal review after performing well below its own expectations in the local and European elections.
She revealed that senior figures in Sinn Féin were “disappointed” with her engagement with the party’s base.
Ms McDonald was told that she needed to offer more clarity on its policies, including on immigration.
Sinn Féin said it would treble resourcing of the immigration system to 64 million euro in a bid to halve processing times, with the establishment of the new agency costing an additional five million euro.
Ms McDonald said her party was putting forward a “common-sense” approach to immigration, rather than what she called the “chaotic approach of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael”.
“The current system doesn’t work for anybody. We’ve chaotic management with different bodies and Government departments acting independently of one another,” she said.
Last week, Ms McDonald echoed her party’s integrations spokeswoman when she told reporters that it was “common sense” to deport immigrants who commit serious crimes.
She said this was in line with Irish law, which permits the removal of an individual to their country of origin if they have committed a serious or violent crime.
If someone has been living in Ireland for more than 10 years or is a child, the order can only be made in the interests of public security.
On Thursday, she reiterated a commitment that Sinn Féin would not locate International Protection Accommodation Services (Ipas) centres in working-class communities.
Her party colleague, Matt Carthy, said it is a “matter of principle” that some areas are not appropriate for the location of a centre for asylum seekers, adding that communities should be allowed to “have a say”.
In addition, he said there needs to be assurance that asylum seekers whose applications are not granted “have actually left the country”.
Their comments come the morning after Taoiseach Simon Harris said Ireland needs a “firmer” immigration system.
Immigration emerged as one of the major issues for political parties in the last two years of the Government, with senior ministers saying there had been a massive increase in the number of asylum seekers.
The State has failed to accommodate thousands of international protection applicants, with 2,865 men currently awaiting an official offer of accommodation.
This has manifested with the erection of makeshift migrant camps along streets and canals in Dublin, something Ms McDonald called a “heartbreaking disgrace”.
The Government mobilised a multi-agency response to clear the encampments in the interests of public health, and placed barriers to make it more difficult for asylum seekers to place their tents.
There has been a spate of arson attacks against centres earmarked for use by asylum seekers as well as protests in which gardaí were injured, and garda vehicles were damaged. Some of the makeshift migrant encampments have also been damaged and subjected to suspected arson.
In a pre-election interview with Virgin Media News, Mr Harris said: “We have went from about 3,500 people a year seeking asylum in Ireland to about 25,000, plus a war in Ukraine.”
The Fine Gael leader added: “Since I have become Taoiseach, I have been very clear that the system needs to be firmer. Immigration is a good thing, we benefit from it, but there also have to be rules.”
Fine Gael wants to implement a means-tested, income-linked contribution towards State accommodation for international protection applicants with jobs.
Mr Harris has also said there will be a “very significant” increase in deportations to countries of origin.
Labour has criticised the Taoiseach’s rhetoric as “populist-pandering to anti-immigrant feeling”.
Jim O’Callaghan, a candidate for Fianna Fáil in Dublin Bay South, questioned Fine Gael’s bona fides on immigration, noting the party has held the justice portfolio for 13 years: “When you look at my constituency, at tents, and you look at barriers, it’s not a system that’s working very effectively.”
