Integration changes cultures - lecturer

INTEGRATION IS sometimes used as a euphemism for assimilation in European countries, a senior psychology professor said during a public lecture at Trinity College Dublin last night.

Prof John Berry, of Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, said young people from immigrant or ethnic minority groups were sometimes expected to keep their heritage culture only in the private sphere.

“In other words, the public culture is the culture of the dominant group and all other cultures are down and out,” he said.

Prof Berry said most interaction with immigrants tended to take place in schools or in the workplace.

Both cultures would change as a result of this interaction, and “school, health and possibly policing will be changing here in Ireland”.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0430/1224245683003.html

High levels of racism uncovered in EU report

DISCRIMINATION against immigrants is widespread in Ireland and the country is one of the most difficult in Europe for minorities according to a major report.

The Irish Human Rights Commission said it is gravely concerned at the findings of the report, the first of its kind, which was published by the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency.

Three out of four immigrants from Africa feel helpless in the face of abuse and discrimination that they say affects every sphere of their lives, from ordering a coffee in a cafe to having their children educated.

Even immigrants from other EU countries in central and eastern Europe say they suffer from discrimination with 25% saying abuse is widespread in the country, while more than half of them say they do not know of any organisation that could support or help them.

The figures released in Brussels, which the agency says is just a taster of the full report, shows Africans in Ireland among the top 10 worst groups in four out of five important areas.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/snauausnoj/

Problems with rural integration - report

Not enough is being done to integrate foreign nationals into rural communities, according to a new report published today.

The report, Reaching Out, which has been compiled by Irish Rural Link, finds that prejudice about race and identity is a huge problem for people from abroad living in Ireland.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0303/integration.html

Report.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0303/ruralireland.pdf

Immigrants not factored into job loss estimates

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen's prediction last Wednesday that unemployment could hit 400,000 by the end of this year came despite the Government making no provision for Irish and non-Irish nationals who may leave or enter the country as a result of the global downturn, the Sunday Independent has learned.

Given the failure by government officials to factor in any estimates on the expected outflow of workers who lose their jobs during 2009, Mr Cowen's grim forecast could yet turn out to be hopelessly optimistic to the tune of tens of thousands.

For in the case of non-Irish nationals from Eastern Europe, being unemployed in Ireland could still present a more attractive option than a return to one's home country.

The weekly entitlement to jobseeker's benefit stands at over €200 per week here and matches -- and in some cases outstrips -- professional salaries in EU accession countries such as Poland and the Baltic states of Lithuania and Latvia.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/immigrants-not-factored-into-job-loss-estimates-1632513.html

Watchdog calls for tighter immigration safeguards

The State's watchdog on human rights has today called for tighter safeguards to immigration law and practices.

The Irish Human Rights Commission (IHRC) made its call following the publication of its second inquiry report that examined the treatment of a visitor from Pakistan who was refused entry to Ireland.

The report recommends the Government introduce tighter safeguards to immigration law and practice including a review of the Immigration, Protection and Residence Bill 2008.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0122/breaking34.htm

Demographic estimate shows Ireland leads the way for immigration

Ireland has the highest natural population growth of all the EU countries, +12.0 per 1,000. This contrasts with France at +4.5, Luxembourg at +4.3 and the UK at +3.6.

The report said the EU27 population grew by 4.4 per 1,000 inhabitants in 2008, due to natural population growth of +1.1 and net immigration of +3.3. In total, the EU27 population is estimated to have increased by 2.2 million in 2008.

In 2008, three-quarters of the increase in the EU27 population is estimated to have come from immigration.

In relative terms, Ireland again leads the way for immigration at +14.1 per 1,000 inhabitants, Slovenia was next at 12.6, Luxembourg at +11.9 and Cyprus +11.7.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/baby-boom-puts-us-on-top-of-birth-rate-league-1595151.html

EU may foot bill for migrants who want to go home

A FINE Gael TD who was branded as racist for suggesting that non-nationals should be offered incentives to return home may have been just a little ahead of his time.

Yesterday it emerged that the Department of Justice is to look at way of tapping into a €629m EU fund that aims to pay economic migrants who voluntarily decide to return to their countries of origin.

The EU's Return Fund will be available to all member states to provide cash to non-EU immigrants who cannot afford to live here or who have failed in their asylum applications.

But the Department of Justice confirmed last night that officials were examining the rules of the fund to see if it could be applied to EU nationals who want to return home.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/eu-may--foot-bill-for-migrants-who-want-to-go-home-1484960.html

Only Irish girl in class

A seven-year-old girl who recently started second class in a school in Balbriggan,?Co Dublin, is the only native Irish child in her class. When Rachel Clarke joined her classmates in Bracken Educate Together school earlier this month, her mother realised she was the only child of Irish parents among the 20 pupils. Niamh Clarke says she was shocked at the sheer number of nationalities in the classroom.

"I felt like I was in a different country, like I was the outsider. At first we were the only white people there. Then when we did see white people coming along, they weren't Irish, they were Polish or Russian," she said.

http://www.tribune.ie/news/home-news/article/2008/sep/28/only-irish-girl-in-class/

EU free movement rule 'exploited'

SOME 4,600 people applied for Irish residency in the past two years on the grounds that their spouses were EU citizens from outside Ireland, including some 600 each from Nigeria and Pakistan, according to Department of Justice figures.

In a document presented to EU justice ministers in Brussels yesterday to show that Ireland faced a problem with "marriages of convenience", the Government pointed to the high rate of marriage between Latvians and immigrants from the Indian subcontinent. Ten per cent of all applications were from Latvians, and 50 per cent of them were married to Pakistani, Indian or Bangladeshi nationals, figures that were "so statistically abnormal that they cannot have occurred by chance".

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/0926/1222374595413.html

Study on children and racism

TWO studies on children’s experiences of racism in Ireland are to be undertaken by Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT).

As concern grows that the economic downturn may prompt a shift in attitudes towards migrants and an increase in racism, the institute’s Centre for Social and Family Research has won research contracts worth €250,000 to study Polish migrants in Ireland and the effect of modern lifestyles on migrant children.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/irishexaminer/pages/story.aspx-qqqg=ireland-qqqm=ireland-qqqa=ireland-qqqid=72290-qqqx=1.asp

The elite and governed on migration collision course

With one in eight of us worried about our job security, it may be time for some restrictions.

The jobs of the elites -- professionals and public-sector workers -- are largely insulated from displacement.

For them, immigration means cheaper au pairs and faster service in restaurants. The jobs of the governed aren't.

For them, immigration means losing your job to someone with far lower expectations. The elites have a cosmopolitan outlook. To them, our religion and the Irish language are relics of the past. The governed disagree. They've travelled abroad and like foreigners and foreign culture. But they like the idea of returning to an Ireland that is recognisably Irish. On the 400th anniversary of the first one, a second plantation is sweeping the nation and the two sides may be headed for a showdown. If they are, the man in the middle of it all is Minister of State with responsibility for immigration, Conor Lenihan.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/the-elite-and-governed-on-migration-collision-course-1475230.html

Blacks face job discrimination: ESRI study

An ESRI analysis has shown that black immigrants are nine times more likely to be unemployed than Irish nationals and are seven times more likely to be discriminated against when seeking a job.

The report says that non-Irish nationals living in Ireland are three times more likely to have experienced discrimination while looking for work than Irish nationals.

In addition, all migrants from non-English speaking countries face a higher risk of unemployment, and report greater difficulties in accessing employment.

Immigrants from English speaking countries do not differ in their reported experience of discrimination from Irish nationals, while those from non-English speaking countries do.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0910/integration.html

Tighter immigration policy favoured by 66% - poll

ALMOST TWO-THIRDS of adults in the State believe immigration policy should be made more restrictive given the worsening economic outlook, according to an opinion poll to be published today.

The poll was conducted last week among a sample of 1,000 adults in the Republic. Some of the respondents were themselves foreign nationals, but they represented too small a subsample to be separated for analysis.

Gerard O'Neill, chairman of Amárach Research, said respondents had distinguished between their views of recent immigration - which were very positive - and their concerns about future levels.

"People are now saying we couldn't continue as we have been given the new economic realities that we're facing. It's saying there isn't a problem now, but there's a concern that were things to continue at a pace similar to the past 10 years, then it may well give rise to a problem," he added.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2008/0910/1220919678623.html

FG: Pay jobless migrants to leave

IRELAND’S 40,000 jobless migrants should be paid to return to their countries of origin, Fine Gael has urged.

The party’s enterprise spokesman, Leo Varadkar, drew heavy fire after suggesting non-Irish people on the live register, whom he claimed cost the State in excess of €400 million a year, should be offered a voluntary repatriation scheme.

Mr Varadkar denied the idea was xenophobic, adding it had been pioneered by Spain’s socialist-led government.

http://www.examiner.ie/irishexaminer/pages/story.aspx-qqqg=ireland-qqqm=ireland-qqqa=ireland-qqqid=71589-qqqx=1.asp

Net immigration slows, but they're still coming

The number of immigrants to the State fell by some 25,700 (23.5 per cent) in the year to April this year, with immigration from the newest EU member states showing the greatest decline, new Central Statistics Office figures show.

The lastest population and migration estimates released today also reveal the number of emigrants was up slightly on the previous year to 45,300. The total number of immigrants fell to 83,800 from 109,500 in the year to the end of April a year earlier.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/0820/breaking210.htm

EU outlaws Irish residency rules

Europe’s highest court has ruled that spouses of European Union citizens who are not themselves citizens of the EU may live in Ireland.

The case involved four couples who appealed a decision by the Government to deport them because the husband in each case is not an EU citizen and has never lived lawfully in another EU state.

The ruling delivered this morning by the European Court of Justice said Irish laws, requiring a spouse from a outside the EU to have lived in another member state, were incompatible with a directive on the free movement of EU citizens.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/0725/breaking40.htm

Immigration will settle down to manageable level "hopefully"

THE IRISH economy will still have a strong demand for immigrant labour after the current downturn, according to Minister of State for Integration Conor Lenihan.

It was also "incorrect" to say immigrant labour was "undercutting" Irish labour, he said yesterday at a function in Co Galway.

"The volume of people will now settle down, hopefully to a level that's more manageable."

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/0719/1216398986561.html

The A to Z of Irish immigrants

You don't have to be older than 30 to remember the days when a black man walking down Dublin's O'Connell generated wide-eyed stares and stunned disbelief. The Ireland of the 1970s was a time when people moved in only one direction: out, most with the intention of never coming back. So homogenous was the population, hospitals only had to worry about keeping sufficient stocks of the blood group O. It was a time when almost everybody shared similar genes.

Fast forward three decades to a country whose image has changed faster and more dramatically than any other in the Northern Hemisphere. Figures released this week by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) are colourful proof that Ireland really is Europe's rainbow nation. On an April day in 2006, when people in the Republic filled in their Census forms, there were non-Irish nationals living in every single town.

In their largest numbers, they have come from Britain, Poland, Lithuania and Nigeria.

As our economic well-being falters and the Celtic Tiger loses its roar, the constantly changing tide of migration is moving in a different direction today, two years since the Census figures were collected. Last week, the ESRI announced that more than 20,000 of the 420,000 non-Irish people living here will leave Ireland next year.
But hundreds of thousands will choose to stay and by 2030, it is predicted that at least 1.5 million people in Ireland will be foreign-born.

http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/the-a-to-z-of-irish-immigrants-1428014.html

Media Dam-Burst: After Lisbon

Immigration as an issue was gagged during the Lisbon debate, but as soon as the result was out, the dam burst and all three Sunday broadsheets admitted that immigration had been a big factor in the result. Here is what they had to say:-

In the political equivalent of stagflation the spectres of recession, unemployment and immigration were the key defining factors in Ireland’s EU Tale of the Unexpected.John Drennan – Sunday Independent.

The trade union debacle in helping to vote down the Lisbon charter of workers' rights is more complicated and a bit easier to forgive. At the heart of it lies the thing which dare not speak its name - the flood of foreign workers.

If anything lost the treaty, this was surely it. The pro-EU leaders of the country's biggest union, SIPTU, simply could not get a `Vote Yes' call past their members.

The foreign workers are a phenomenon of EU membership, of course. But the details as to how they are employed, and under what terms, are in large measure a matter for the Government.

The cloak of social partnership hid deep disagreement between the Government and employers on one side, and the unions on the other, over the kind of labour market the Irish economy needs.

It is still Boston or Berlin, but no-one wants to say so. Had that argument been fought openly, and the Government admitted it disagrees with the unions, and thinks giving them all they want would cripple the economy, there might at least have been a chance for voters to distinguish the baby from the bathwater, before both disappeared down the plughole.Brendan Keenan – Sunday Independent.

There is also the great unmentionable in Irish politics- the political impact of the recent surge of immigration. The Nice Treaty opened up Ireland to the citizens of the other 27 members and, as we enter more difficult economic times, a new tension around employment, schooling and social services may be emerging. Most profoundly, immigration has changed the Ireland we grew up in, and its permanence is just beginning to dawn on people. Many see Europe as the principal source of this change.Tom McGurk – Sunday Business Post.

Few will admit publicly to voting no for this reason, but privately many politicians believe concerns among some voters about the huge influx of foreign workers – particularly against the backdrop of a downturn in the economy - is a factor in declining support for the EU in Ireland. To be fair to the No side, nobody even hinted at this as an issue but it was unquestionably there in the minds of some voters.Conor McMorrow and Shane Coleman – Sunday Tribune.

Let it be noted that none of these papers attended our press conference in Buswell’s Hotel on the 19th of March; RTE attended but never used the footage; the Irish Times did not take up our offer to write on their Opinion and Analysis page, although even the crime writer, Freddie Forsyth was welcome. A complaint to RTÉ was met with the response that their reporters had not found immigration to be an issue in the campaign.

http://www.immigrationcontrol.org/press.html#what_the_papers_said

Changing times as school finds no Irish-born pupils enrolling

CHANGES in the population were brought into focus yesterday when a Dublin school revealed there isn't a single Irish-born pupil among those enrolled in its infant classes for next year.
The school is in the north inner city, where already nearly half the pupils are minority ethnic and language students, and that percentage is rising.

Figures from eight local schools in the Dublin 7 area show that there are 1,839 pupils enrolled this year -- of whom nearly half, or 855, are minority ethnic and language students.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/changing-times-as-school-finds-no-irishborn-pupils-enrolling-1397401.html