On Wednesday, five children were among thirty-five people deported to Nigeria. They were seized and deported without an opportunity to say goodbye to their friends or people in the Dublin 8 community that they had been a part of for several years.
Local People Before Profit Councillor Hazel De Nortúin said “This week five children were among 35 people deported to Nigeria. Two of the children had been pupils at St James Primary school in the Liberties for three years. They were not even given the opportunity to say goodbye to their friends”.
“The school principal has spoken about the sense of loss to the school and local community from these cruel deportations. They have been part of the school football team and many other parts of school and local community life for years”.
“Other families at the IPAS centre witnessed the seizure of the children and their families. Children in the centre now live in fear that they will be next to be seized without warning and deported without even a chance to say goodbye to their friends”.
“The worst of the nastiness represented by Trump and the far right is now being imported here by Minister Jim O’Callaghan and the government, instead of investing in communities that this government and successive governments have abandoned for so long. It is sickening and I will stand with the community in Dublin 8 in opposing this inhuman deportation policy”.
People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy said “What we are witnessing is the Minister for Justice engaging in performative cruelty to boost his Fianna Fáil leadership bid. One of the most powerful people in the state kicking down at the most vulnerable and boasting about it publicly because he wants even more power”.
“It is disgusting and I will raise this matter in the Dáil when it reconvenes on Tuesday to demand an end to this performative cruelty against children and their families and instead for badly needed investment in local communities and services”.