A Tipperary town is ready to take to the streets in protest, as a fresh plan to relocate international residents from the community takes effect.

The group of international residents, who have been living in Borrisokane since 2019, have been told they must leave their homes in the town next Thursday, 5 September, to move to temporary emergency accommodation in Co Offaly.

The 96 residents, which include pensioners and young children, received a temporary reprieve from eviction from the Riverside Complex in Borrisokane in July.

However, the residents have now received notification they are to be moved to Elm Grove House, a former nursing home in Birr that has housed Ukrainian refugees in recent years and has now been designated as an International Protection Applicant (IPA) accommodation centre.

However, the 20 families, who are from Ghana, Nigeria, Pakistan and South Africa, are not IPA applicants, having been granted Leave to Remain status in recent years.

The Borrisokane Liaison Committee, established when the Government first approached the local community regarding integrating asylum seekers in the town, is insisting that the agreement reached in November 2019 between all sides is upheld.

Community support

The agreement states that: ‘the community would encourage the asylum seekers, in the event of their protection application being positively determined, to remain in the town and become long-stay members of the community subject to their own wishes’.

It further commits the Department to ‘support the community in its work to assist the asylum seekers in making Borrisokane their longer-term home’, subject to their protection status being confirmed.

Local Fianna Fáil councillor Ryan O’Meara says Government officials needed to meet with the community as a matter of urgency.

“We are still seeking a face-to-face meeting with Minister Roderick O’Gorman so we can explain why we don’t see this as a justified move.

We have tried for the past six months to get Government to meet with us to explain why the local community don’t want to lose the families who have integrated so successfully into the area

“It is completely unfair on the families whose children are settling back to school to have them facing such uncertainty. It’s not right these people are being moved to temporary, emergency accommodation in a different town in a different county and the local community are incensed at the situation,” he says.

A statement issued by the Department of Integration said it understood the challenging situation in Borrisokane, but that the residents were no longer entitled to remain at the Riverside Accommodation Centre due to their Leave to Remain status.

“The Department understands that this situation is challenging for both residents of the Riverside Accommodation Centre and the local community in Borrisokane,” a spokesperson said.

“Those with status have the same housing entitlements as Irish citizens and are supported to register with a Local Authority and, if required, to avail of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) to secure alternative accommodation.

"The Department tries, when people with status are moving accommodation, to find emergency accommodation in the same county where possible. In this instance, the residents at this site have been offered accommodation which is a 20 minute drive from Borrisokane.”

Maria Donnelly of the Borrisokane Liaison Committee said the local community was prepared to protest on the streets of the town to block the families’ eviction.

“These families aren’t IPA applicants yet they’re being forced into temporary emergency accommodation which is the biggest worry as we’ve no idea where they will go once their stay there is deemed to be up,” she said.

“We have tried for the past six months to get Government to meet with us to explain why the local community don’t want to lose the families who have integrated so successfully into the area. The local community is ready to protest if that is what it takes to make the Government honour its commitments to the town.”

A Government spokesperson said the Taoiseach was aware of the situation in Borrisokane.

“The Taoiseach’s office has been engaging with the Department of Integration and the Taoiseach has been assured community engagement has been held with the affected residents,” a spokesperson said.