The government is once again suggesting that refugees are placing unsustainable pressure on our systems, but the facts do not support this claim, according to Social Democrats justice spokesperson Gary Gannon.<\/p>\n
Deputy Gannon said:<\/p>\n
\u201cThis morning\u2019s announcement that refugees will be forced to wait three years before they can seek family reunification is yet another example of the government reaching for performative toughness instead of effective policy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe proposed changes would amend the current legislation to introduce income, welfare and accommodation requirements for family reunification, meaning people the State has already recognised as refugees could be barred from bringing their families to Ireland simply because they relied on social welfare in their first years of safety.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not required by Irish law, EU law, or international obligations. It is a political choice, presented as a necessity.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust over 1% of migration to Ireland occurs through family reunification. Restricting this pathway will not create housing, speed up processing, or relieve pressure on public services. It will only keep families apart.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Irish Red Cross, which has reunited families for over 150 years and acts as an auxiliary to the State, has been clear that these proposals would create significant barriers to family unity while doing nothing to address the real causes of delay and dysfunction in our protection system.<\/p>\n
\u201cExperts have repeatedly called on the government to retain our current model, reject income and housing thresholds, and focus instead on fixing the administrative backlogs and resourcing failures that have led us here.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese proposals must also be viewed in the wider context of the International Protection Bill. Proper pre-legislative scrutiny did not take place. Key stakeholders and expert witnesses were effectively asked to scrutinise empty Heads of Bill with critical details completely absent or unresolved.<\/p>\n
\u201cFamily unity is not a loophole – it is a right protected under international humanitarian and human rights law, and it is central to successful integration and social cohesion. Once again, this government is going as far as possible when it comes to being cruel, and doing as little as possible when it comes to being humane.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Ministers were serious about running a fair and efficient system, they would fix it – not fracture families and call it reform.\u201d<\/p>\n
January 12th, 2026<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The government is once again suggesting that refugees are placing unsustainable pressure on our systems, but the facts do not support this claim, according to Social Democrats justice spokesperson Gary Gannon. Deputy Gannon said: \u201cThis morning\u2019s announcement that refugees will be forced to wait three years before they can seek family reunification is yet another […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":12549,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[316,528,411,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gary-gannon","category-immigration","category-justice","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n