On road to Dublin: ‘It’s got ridiculous … they say it’s because of Rwanda’

There is growing alarm in Ireland at the flow of asylum seekers from the UK as ever more cross the Irish Sea to escape Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda policy

Police cleared a makeshift camp for 285 migrants on Mount Street, Dublin, this week. The Irish government says that more than four in five of the asylum seekers arriving in the country are coming from the UK
Police cleared a makeshift camp for 285 migrants on Mount Street, Dublin, this week. The Irish government says that more than four in five of the asylum seekers arriving in the country are coming from the UK
BRYAN MEADE
Ali Mitib
, Dublin,
Tom Witherow
The Times

As The Times walked through the ­remnants of a migrant “tent city” in Dublin, a voice piped up from the side of the road: “I recognise you. I saw you in Dunkirk.”

That last meeting was in January as Abdi, a Somali in his 20s, waited to ­collect a pasta meal from charity workers in northern France. He said he was risking his life to escape a life in Somalia blighted by terrorist attacks and mass youth unemployment.

He has since fled the UK, fearing ­deportation to Rwanda, to claim asylum in Dublin. “I don’t want to go back to Africa,” he said this week. “Rwanda is no good for me. I am here to build a new life in Europe.”

Ireland expects to receive 20,000 asylum seekers this year, more than seven times the annual number before the pandemic
Ireland expects to receive 20,000 asylum seekers this year, more than seven times the annual number before the pandemic
BRYAN MEADE

He was one of