Tánaiste Simon Harris has defended the approach taken by the Department of Justice in refusing visas to young GAA players from Palestine.
Mr Harris, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, said “every visa has to be issued on its merits” and there needed to be “legitimate checks in relation to child protection”.
Asked at an event in Dublin about the visa refusals, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the visa system in Ireland is fair and impartial and Government, as a rule, does not intervene in its operations.
“There is an appeal mechanism there. The fundamental issue, from what I can gather, is the well-being of the children,” he said.
READ MORE
In the Dáil, a number of TDs on Thursday raised the issue involving 33 young hurlers and 14 mentors who were refused visas for a GAA Palestine summer tour due to begin this month.
Mr Harris said an appeals process is in place and the department “will continue to robustly apply rules particularly when it involves minors and particularly when it involves minors travelling without their parents and accompanied by other adults”.
The Department of Justice issues the visas which are processed through the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín said there should be a strict system, but a compassionate response as well. He pointed out that there are already “dozens of children coming into this country unaccompanied on an annual basis”.
He said the refusal of visas to the 33 Palestinian children was an example of the different treatment the EU demonstrates towards the wars in Ukraine and Palestine.
“It is very obvious there’s a two-tier approach,” he said.
In reply, Mr Harris said many visas have been granted to Palestinian nationals, mostly to family members of Irish citizens.
“We do try to take a compassionate approach,” he said, adding that the Government did not doubt the bona fides of the trip’s organisers.
“Unfortunately not all people will be able to demonstrate that they satisfy the conditions to be granted a visa to come to Ireland.”
He said there was a request for 47 people to travel to Ireland from Palestine, “33 of these are children who are not travelling in the company of their parents”.
“These applications were given very careful consideration. A visa officer has to be satisfied that children are travelling in the company of their parents or an appropriate guardian. Additional documents such as birth certs, consent letters are regularly requested to establish the relationship and there is an appeals process under way.”
Sinn Féin foreign affairs spokesman Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire said “some of this is political will” and called for contact with the organisation to work through whatever issues exist to ensure “it’s all rectified quickly”.
Mr Harris said that if children “from far flung parts of the world are travelling to this country with adults, some of whom are not their parents, there do need to be legitimate checks in relation to child protection”.
He added: “I don’t think any immigration system in the world would grant visas, without satisfying itself in relation to visa applications for minors.
“We can’t just tear up the rule book when it comes to migration.”
