Several hundred people marched through the town of Borrisokane, Co Tipperary, tonight, to protest at the decision by the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) to move up to 19 families - who have asylum status and who have lived there for over five years - elsewhere.
The families are all living in the Riverside Accommodation Centre since 2019 and they have integrated well, with the support of a local liaison committee, who have worked with them to help them settle in.
The children, over 30 of them, are all going to the local schools and playing on the local sports teams.
However the families are no longer entitled to stay in the centre which is needed for new applicants and are being moved onto emergency accommodation in Birr, Co Offaly.
Margaret Donnelly, of the local support committee, said the move breaches a written agreement the community fought hard to win back in 2019 - one of the conditions of which was that applicants could be allowed to stay in their accommodation in the long-term once they had been successfully given asylum and integrated into life in Borrisokane.
'"We are emotionally heartbroken that they are being forced to move away. We have worked hard to integrate them into our community and they now consider Borrisokane their home. And that agreement that we drew up five years ago has been shattered," she said.
Ruth Masina has lived at Riverside for five years and her four children are all going to local schools.
She wept with worry as she explained how difficult it was to be told she was being moved on.
"Its depressing, terrifying, that I am being told I have to move to a nursing home in Birr which is the location now marked for me and my family. My children just do not understand why they have to move.
"They are very upset. They have just gone back to school. They are going to miss their friends. This is their home, they want to stay here." she said.
Labour TD Alan Kelly, who has brought the matter to the Dáil and has lobbied both Taoiseach Simon Harris and Minister for Integration Roderic O'Gorman, said this was simply a "wrong move" and makes a mockery of government policy on integration.
"This agreement drawn up by the community in 2019 along with the Department of Justice, who ran IPAS at that time, has to be honoured.
"I have placed it on record of the Dáil, and it committed to allowing the asylum residents here to stay in Borrisokane long-term.
"How can any community have faith in any agreement drawn up with Government, if they renege on this one," he said.
"Across the country, communities are fighting to keep asylum seekers and refugees out - amid intimidation and arson attacks. Here in Borrisokane they have made huge efforts to keep them in and continue to work on integration.
"This move, to transfer people who have settled in well, completely undermines the whole concept of integration and the Government should reverse this decision once and for all," Mr Kelly added.
IPAS said they accept this is a challenging situation for both the community and residents of Riverside House in Borrisokane, but they are dealing with an emergency situation trying to find accommodation for those fleeing war and conflict.
It said it has housed over 31,000 International Protection Applicants since 2019 and has 2,000 single males waiting also to be accommodated at present.
In a statement, IPAS said: "The families at Riverside Accommodation Centre, Borrisokane, completed their International Protection application in 2022 and have status that allows them to remain in Ireland, along with access to the full range of housing supports available to all Irish residents.
"At the same time, the department has a very urgent need for accommodation for people who are still in the application process, as such the department is not in a position to enter into ongoing rental arrangements in its accommodation for people with status.
"However, the department is also very mindful of the challenges that exist for people moving on from the International Protection system in accessing alternative accommodation in the community.
"With all this in mind, the department will work with the remaining families at the Riverside IPAS Centre, Tipperary County Council, and local community groups and representatives to find suitable alternative accommodation for these families in the local area.
"When alternative accommodation is available for the remaining families, it is important that Riverside IPAS Centre continues to be used to provide much needed accommodation for people who are within the International Protection application process."
