Migration and Citizenship: Statements
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-30
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Darren O'Rourke (SF), Meath East

I welcome the opportunity to speak on these statements on migration and citizenship. Sinn Féin’s position is clear. We want a strong, fair and efficient migration system that supports the ambition and interests of the people of this State, while reflecting the inherent decency of the Irish people and upholding our obligations to those fleeing war and persecution. Managing migration requires concerted action and long-term planning. For a start, migration should be managed on an all-island basis. That makes absolute sense. With work permits and student visas, we should take into account our capacity to house and integrate people, as well as the availability of public services. That is an argument for basic planning, something that was clearly missing in recent years.
I am looking at the most recent push notification in the news on my phone and the headline is: “Substantial sums paid to asylum seeker accommodation providers represented ‘no value’”. That is the news today from the Comptroller and Auditor General. It will not come as a surprise to people. We need to do better. Our international protection system must be fair, efficient and enforced. People need to have confidence in it. Sinn Féin calls for faster processing, an end to profiteering, as just mentioned, enforcement of deportations and genuine support for integration. Each of those elements is important.
Sinn Féin opposed the majority of the EU asylum and migration pact and the International Protection Bill 2026 due to sovereignty concerns and the fact the pact did not adequately account for Ireland’s unique status as an EU state sharing a common travel area with a non-EU state. We need better data collection on entry and exit and the urgent pursuit of a legally binding, bilateral agreement with Britain.
Irish citizenship is deeply valuable. It represents membership of our nation, carries rights and responsibilities and reflects a genuine commitment to Ireland. We recognise the immense contribution that migrants make across our public services, economy and communities in every single corner of Ireland. Citizenship should never be reduced to a passport acquired simply through the passage of time or a privilege reserved only for the wealthy or well-connected. Successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael governments have failed to build a coherent policy, relying instead on broad discretion and unclear rules. Measuring time spent in Ireland, for example, in and of itself does not necessarily demonstrate integration. Sinn Féin supports a structured, transparent pathway to citizenship, with clear rules focusing on civic participation, community involvement, tax compliance and language proficiency.
Elsewhere, the Government must urgently address residence permit renewal delays. It must provide access to secure long-term residence options, create a pathway for people in the North who have legally moved here, and examine fair transitional arrangements.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-09-30/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-10-05T01:00:59+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-30