- Bishop McGuckian: controversial new family reunification restrictions of two-year waiting period before beneficiaries of international protection can apply for reunification, are anti-family
The Council for Migrants, Refugees and Justice and Peace of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference has raised serious concerns that the International Protection Act 2026 “favours firmness over fairness.”
Although President Catherine Connolly signed the Bill into law this week, having referred it to the Council of State, the President stated “serious concerns remain” about the legislation.
In warning of serious reservations expressed by members of the Bishops’ Council about a number of key provisions in the legislation, its chairperson, Bishop Alan McGuckian SJ, said, “We deeply regret that the International Protection Act provides for the detention of children, even if it is only in exceptional circumstances and as a measure of last resort. Our council’s position accords with that of UNHCR – the UN Refugee Agency – in that children should not be detained for immigration-related reasons as per human rights law.
“While the act legislates for the introduction of the EU Pact on Asylum and Migration in June 2026, the Government’s mantra in adopting the Pact is that it is a ‘firm but fair’ approach to addressing the challenges of managing migration and asylum in Ireland. Yet the Bishops’ Council retains grave concerns that the new law is overwhelmingly weighted towards firmness at the cost of fairness. The legislation limits access to oral appeals, introduces restrictions on the freedom of movement of applicants, and it greatly enhances Garda powers of arrest and detention. There is a lack of clarity around procedural safeguards in age assessments and protections for vulnerable applicants in the asylum border procedure.”
Bishop McGuckian continued, “Our council strongly opposes controversial new family reunification restrictions. These measures, which introduce a two-year waiting period before beneficiaries of international protection can apply for reunification, are anti-family. It is neither fair, nor just, to significantly restrict the ability of refugees – persons granted protection by the Irish State – to be reunited with their loved ones.
“While asylum seeker advocates have called for many years to speed up case processing and eliminate lengthy delays in determining applications for international protection, the Bishops’ Council for Migrant and Refugees believes that this should not be at the expense of due process. There has been significant confusion around the operation of essential legal counselling in the new international protection legislation. Our Council urges adequate resourcing of the Legal Aid Board to ensure timely access to legal counselling and representation in asylum procedures when the EU Pact commences in June.”
ENDS
- The Council for Migrants, Refugees and Justice & Peace is a Council of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference. The chairperson of the council is Bishop Alan McGuckian SJ, Bishop of Down and Connor.