Irish Open-Borders Approach to Ukrainian Refugees a Security Risk for UK – Claim

The UK government is reportedly concerned about Ireland’s approach to Ukrainian refugees, with one source saying Dublin’s open-borders response could lead to security issues.

British government concerns come as the neighbouring countries — who share a common travel area between them — take radically different approaches to the humanitarian crisis, with the Irish government dropping all visa requirements for would-be Ukrainian arrivals, while British officials have insisted that some controls — including those to do with biometric and security checks — must remain in place for arrivals.

However, according to an anonymous source within the British government, Ireland’s response to the ongoing crisis poses a security risk to the UK, while also noting how Ireland’s immigration platform has previously caused issues for Britain in the past.

“Ireland has basically opened the door to everyone in Ukraine, which creates a problem due to the Common Travel Area,” The Telegraph reports the source as explaining, before noting the problems Ireland’s lax border controls caused Britain in the past.

The source went on to specifically mention the issue of Albanian nationals having previously abused the Irish asylum process to gain access to the common travel area in the past.

“We’ve seen before with migrants from Albania that they have come through Dublin, into Belfast and across to the mainland to Liverpool,” the source continued. “That’s created a drug cartel route.”

A later crackdown on false Albanian asylum claims in Dublin airport saw asylum claims from the country collapse by 96 per cent within two months.

Like its fellow EU member states, Ireland has almost completely opened its borders to Ukrainian nationals, only requiring that potential refugees present some form of ID proving their nationality when they enter the country.

The country is now likely to be expected to take in around 100,000 Ukrainian refugees, according to a claim made by one government minister, with another minister promising all arrivals medical cards.

By contrast, Britain’s approach to accepting refugees has been lambasted by French officials for its “lack of humanity, with the UK government maintaining strict conditions which must be met by refugees looking to enter the country.

In response, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has said authorities are examining a new route for would-be refugees looking to enter Britain which would widen eligibility for Ukrainians looking to gain access to the country.

However, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was far less apologetic, insisting his nation already had “very, very generous routes” in place for refugees.

Meanwhile, The Telegraph‘s anonymous source defended the necessity of security measures, saying authorities would be blamed if they make an error.

“…it’s the Home Office that will get the blame if in three or fives’ years time there are problems with those who come,” said the anonymous insider. “That’s why the security checks have to be done carefully now.”

However, regardless of British concerns for its own security, it appears that Ireland has zero intention of changing its open borders approach.

“We’re not going to shut the Border,” Ireland’s sometimes confused Environment minister told the Irish Times. “I think the UK government are going to understand this in the same way we understand when it was coming the other way with the pandemic, that the best way is not to shut the Border but to make sure you share information and that gives confidence and security”