100 Tents Removed from Dublin’s Grand Canal as Asylum Seekers Relocated to State-Provided Shelters

Approximately 100 tents used by asylum seekers are being removed from Dublin’s Grand Canal in the third such operation this month.

This follows previous multi-agency efforts to clear tents from various city locations. This morning, 109 individuals were offered accommodation.

Contractors began setting up additional barriers around the site at 5 a.m., and the removal operation commenced at 6:30 a.m.

Tents were loaded onto a lorry while volunteers sorted belongings and removed the blue tarps covering the tents near Baggot Street Bridge.

Asylum seekers were given letters informing them they were committing an offence by remaining on canal property. Five buses transported the men away before 8 a.m., and new barriers were erected along the canal.

Tents along grand canal being removed now. Buses waiting to take occupants to alternative accommodation. pic.twitter.com/iIlbaiNFcL

— Carole Coleman (@Carolecoleman) May 30, 2024

A Government statement indicated that the recent availability of beds at Citywest led to accommodation offers for International Protection applicants.

The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth, supported by several homeless charities, conducted outreach visits at the Grand Canal.

The statement noted that anyone eligible for International Protection accommodation during outreach visits was offered housing at Citywest.

Taoiseach Simon Harris commended the combined efforts of state agencies in dealing with immigration issues.

Harris emphasized the need for a comprehensive response to migration, highlighting that the morning’s operation exemplified inter-agency cooperation. He also stated that providing shelter and accommodation is just one facet of migration policy.

Current figures show 1,939 applicants awaiting accommodation offers. This marks the fifth instance of relocating asylum seekers from parts of Dublin, with previous operations occurring at the International Protection Office on Mount Street and along the Grand Canal.

State-provided shelters, which have been offered to hundreds of applicants through these operations, feature robust, weather-proof tents, toilets, showers, health services, dining areas, phone charging facilities, transport access, and 24-hour security.

A young man from Somalia, who received state-provided accommodation this morning, mentioned fleeing conflict and awaiting accommodation in Ireland since February. He expressed approval of the move to State-provided shelters due to the lack of facilities at the makeshift camp.

The Government continues operating multiple shelter sites with necessary amenities to support asylum seekers while waiting for more permanent solutions.