Accommodation for asylum seekers should be located in “better off” areas, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has said.
She added that a site in Coolock, north Dublin, where incidents of violent disorder have recently broken out after it was earmarked for the accommodation of international protection applicants, should not have been chosen by the Government.
Gardaí have come under attack and fires have been set several times at the former Crown Paints factory on Malahide Road following renovation plans to allow for the accommodation of more than 500 international protection applicants.
Ms McDonald said the site would not have been chosen by a Sinn Féin government because the area cannot support it.
“If you were starting from the start, would you place this centre in one of the most deprived communities in the State? No, you wouldn’t.
“Would you attempt to do that with no regard to that reality and no consultation with the community living there? No, you wouldn’t,” Ms McDonald said.
However, given that a contract has already been signed, she said it is now imperative that dialogue with locals in Coolock happens “very urgently”.
She added that, while there is a dangerous criminal element “stirring the pot”, there are also concerns from locals about the level of resourcing in the area.
“We want Coolock to be a safe, calm place where people are listened to,” she said.
The party recently determined that it needed to provide increased clarity on its immigration policy platform, following worse-than-expected results in the local and European elections in June.
It launched a new policy document on international protection on Tuesday, which it said would fix the “broken” system by only putting new centres in areas that have sufficient services.
The party raised concerns about locations where food banks are under pressure and GP lists are closed, stating Pobal's deprivation index could be used as a determining factor when choosing the location of new centres.
Ms McDonald said: “Obviously some areas – and you can objectively measure this – have better access to services, to infrastructure. They are better off.
“And it is our belief that it is a fairer ask that these centres be located in communities such as those.
“Let me add to this caveat: Our bigger ambition is that no community is left behind anymore, and that we don’t have these black spots of deprivation and neglect.”
Ms McDonald, who accused the Government of being “flat-footed” and having “no real plan”, said accommodation centres have been placed arbitrarily.
She said Sinn Féin is putting forward a message of “common sense and fairness” by locating centres in less-deprived areas.
The party also outlined policies on “ending private profiteering” by moving towards more State-run accommodation and speeding up decision-making by tripling staffing at the International Protection Office and International Protection Appeals Tribunal.
In addition, Sinn Féin said there needs to be increased enforcement of deportation orders to ensure that those who are not eligible for international protection actually leave the State.
A core part of the new policy document is a consultation process for the communities in which centres will be located.
Ms McDonald said: “We are not talking about a veto. We are talking about respectful conversations with the community.”
She said the Government has failed to consult communities and accused it of “aggravating the situation” by insisting that engagements have happened.
Asked whether she believes the expanded consultation process would speed up or slow down the opening of new centres, Ms McDonald said the overall approach put forward by Sinn Féin would be more efficient.
However, she was unable to provide a timeframe of how long communities would be given to object to proposals under the policy.
Asked if the updated policy document is an admission that the party had failed with its core base in recent elections, Ms McDonald said: “People need to know where we’re standing with clarity.
“This is an issue now that Irish society, Irish community and Irish politics have to deal with it.”
Ms McDonald rejected a characterisation of the new policy as a “dogwhistle” to the far right, adding: “We’re not chasing anyone.”
She said she had been subjected to a death threat last week, which she had to discuss with her children and her mother.
“The toxicity and the danger in this situation is real, and we are very conscious of that,” she added.
