Ghettos and segregated communities could become part of our landscape unless greater efforts are made to promote integration of immigrants into the community, a conference has heard.
Anna Lee, manager of the Tallaght Partnership, yesterday said the State's approach to integration had been "haphazard" and "hit-and-miss" and tended to view immigration as a source of labour rather than a social issue needing attention.
"At a national level, policy responses have exhibited a fragmented approach across departments. This was exemplified recently by the Immigration and Residency Bill, which focused primarily on labour-related practices and practically ignored the issue of integration," Ms Lee said.
"At a local level, we have also witnessed a haphazard approach to integration. Lack of local planning for successful integration was recently brought into focus with the schools crisis in Balbriggan, where children of immigrant parents simply could not access a school place.
"The solution to this schools crisis will result in a new school whose pupils will almost all be children of immigrant parents."
She was speaking at a conference organised by the Tallaght Partnership, a local development company that tackles poverty and social exclusion. It has spent the last year examining models of immigrant participation in the community.
This research focused on the contribution immigrants can make at grassroots level in communities, including running schools, community centres and other community infrastructure.
While critical of the State's approach to integration so far, Ms Lee said the Government's appointment of a Minister for Integration - Conor Lenihan - signalled a clear commitment to making a priority of integration at a national level.
Lucy Gaffney, chairwoman of the National Action Plan Against Racism, emphasised the importance of the immigrant population playing its role in creating a cohesive society. "It is now the responsibility of the new immigrant population to seize the baton and run with it. And by this I mean everyone - not just the ambitious or politically astute. "
