Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has defended immigration checks by gardaí at the border with Northern Ireland.
She was speaking at the launch of a new Legal Aid Board centre in Dublin.
Ms McEntee said protection of the Common Travel Area had to be recognised, but it was necessary for the right checks and measures to be in place to identify those who abuse it.
"We are working closely with the PSNI, and we work very closely with our counterparts in the UK to identify any of these types of abuses," she added.
However, the minister said that if someone is coming to Ireland without a right to be here, gardaí need to do everything they can to identify people, which is why the checks are being carried out.
'Ramping up the system' at every point, minister says
Asked about potential pressures on the Legal Aid Board due to the rise in asylum applicants and appeals, she said her overall objective when it came to the International Protection system was to have "a quicker, faster, easier process to navigate," from start to finish.
Ms McEntee said that meant that appeal decisions would be made more quickly too.
"Importantly, if people have a right to be here that they get that decision straight away and that they can move on with their life. But if they don't have a right to be here, that they're told that too, and that they're asked to leave," she said.
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Ms McEntee added that it was about "ramping up the system" at every point and funding had been provided to the Legal Aid Board to make sure it can support everyone.
In 2023, the board faced an increase in International Protection applications when 9,918 were received.
This was a considerable increase on the 6,858 applications in 2022, which itself was a rise of 368% on the 1,464 applications for legal aid received for International Protection matters in 2021.
As of 31 March last, 2,750 applications had been received by the board, approximately 41% of the overall number for legal services in the same period last year.
'Urgent response' needed on IP accommodation - IRC
The chief executive of the Irish Refugee Council (IRC) has called for an "all of Government urgent response" to the delivery of accommodation for International Protection applicants.
Nick Henderson said the system is nearly entirely reliant on emergency beds and this approach has resulted in 2,000 people on the streets.
He told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that the Government should increase the packages of supports for applicants.
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"It's currently €130 for an International Protection applicant, and that's insufficient.
"Somebody may be able to afford a hostel for a few nights but as we move into summer that's getting increasingly expensive.
"We're also recommending better communication with people who are sleeping rough and who are homeless."
Mr Henderson acknowledged that there are concerns and questions about immigration and international protection.
However, the IRC is concerned that some candidates are using this issue as a way to generate votes during this election cycle, he said.
Mr Henderson added that frequent Government announcements about International Protection applicants and Ukrainian refugees are "slowly chiseling away at the rights and entitlements of people seeking International Protection and also beneficiaries of temporary protection from Ukraine".
