The Irish Refugee Council has expressed "deep concern" about the challenges facing unaccommodated people seeking asylum in Ireland, contending that the current policy is "dangerous".
In a letter to Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan, the council's chief executive Nick Henderson detailed how approximately 20 people tried to sleep rough "in one of the only remaining parts of the city that volunteers think is the least dangerous".
"They were moved on by gardaí who told them to go back to the airport and leave the country. This morning having gone to a service for some food, they were told to go back to the place that the gardaí told them to leave," he said.
Mr Henderson added: "This current policy, that requires men to sleep rough to demonstrate need for accommodation, is dangerous, erodes public confidence in our asylum process, places additional pressure on busy charities, places enormous pressure and risk on individual volunteers who have supported people for three years."
"It is particularly concerning that this persists when there are beds within the IPAS system," he added.
The Social Democrats housing spokesperson Rory Hearne condemned the treatment of asylum seekers.
He said: "It is wrong for the Irish state to be treating people in this inhumane way. They are human beings - brothers, fathers, sons, mothers, daughters - they cannot and should not be left on the streets shelterless."
"There are still huge numbers of empty State buildings that could be temporarily refurbished to provide shelter to these vulnerable people," he concluded.
The Labour Party's housing spokesperson Conor Sheehan agreed with the Irish Refugee Council's analysis.
"This is a dangerous and inhumane way to treat way to treat vulnerable people many of whom have arrived here fleeing war and persecution," he said.
"Minister O'Callaghan boasted after the budget about reducing the IPAS Budget yet the result of that is people being put in danger on the streets.
"There is capacity in the IPAS system and these men should be accommodated using that capacity. There will be plenty of hand wringing if someone dies sleeping on the streets but that is an inevitability if this continues."
