REPORTS OF aggressive treatment of tourists by gardaí at Dublin airport show the need for greater scrutiny of immigration officers, the Immigrant Council of Ireland has said.
It said the heavy-handed treatment of visitors by some officers demonstrated the need for independent review, particularly as it is proposed to increase their powers under new immigration laws.
This follows a report in The Irish Times this week on an Indian tourist who complained of harassment and racial discrimination at Dublin airport after having won a trip to Ireland at an event sponsored by Tourism Ireland in Mumbai.
In a separate incident this month, a Nigerian Catholic priest who travelled here on a tourist visa, was arrested at Dublin airport before being strip-searched and placed in a prison cell on suspicion of trying to enter the country illegally.
He was later released following the intervention of the Nigerian ambassador.
"Over the past few days, we have heard two appalling stories about tourists coming to this country with the appropriate paperwork, provided by this country, only to be subjected to humiliation when they got off the plane," said the council's chief executive, Denise Charlton.
"Their welcome to Ireland was not only degrading and embarrassing but it is also extremely counterproductive when Ireland's reputation as a holiday destination is more important than ever during our economic downturn."
Newly released documents show the Indian winner of a trip to Ireland wrote to Tourism Ireland on March 2nd to complain of his treatment at Dublin airport.
He outlined how, despite his having the required tourist visa and carrying a letter from Tourism Ireland, immigration officers insisted they did not believe the letter was authentic.
"He [an officer] then asked us who had booked our hotel. We told him it was done by Thomas Cook in Bombay. He said that can't be possible as why would Ireland Tourism [sic] book through Thomas Cook as they were a British company. We didn't know what to say."
He alleged many other Indian passengers were treated unfairly.
"It was only the Indians who were being photographed at the immigration counter. It was clear- cut racial discrimination. Whole thing was very embarrassing."
When Tourism Ireland learned of the incident, its chief executive wrote to the secretary general of the Department of Arts and Tourism to express concern about such incidents and their potential to damage attempts to develop new tourist markets in the Asia-Pacific region.
Ms Charlton said yesterday the organisation was regularly made aware of heavy-handed treatment by some immigration officials of people lawfully trying to enter the State, and that such incidents jeopardised Ireland's reputation.
"It is a sad irony that the Indian tourist who was treated so shabbily had won a competition run by Tourism Ireland, which is trying to encourage more people from India to visit this country," she said.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Justice said that all immigration officers at ports of entry into the State were members of the Garda.
As such, any individual who had a complaint to make about their conduct could do so through the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission.