Illegal migrants to the UK ‘use Ireland as staging post’

The security services believe crime gangs in France and Spain are smuggling migrants into Ireland, with some then travelling to Britain as the UK intensifies its efforts to prevent migrants crossing the English Channel.
Intelligence indicates that Ireland is facing a more complex challenge with illegal immigration as migrants are arriving not only from Britain but also using Ireland as a route to enter the UK.
There was a surge in refugee applicants last month with 1,723 people seeking asylum, 90 per cent up on the same period last year.
The total number of people to seek asylum between January and the end of July was 12,339. If the trend continues, the number of people seeking asylum in the first eight months of the year will exceed last year’s total of 13,277.
The use of Ireland to smuggle people into Britain from the continent had been predicted by immigration officers.
Heightened security in the English Channel has made that route less accessible and criminals appear to have shifted their operations to exploit Ireland’s relatively open border with France.
Rosslare Europort is known to be a significant entry point. The gardai have increased vigilance at the port, intercepting several attempts by Albanians trying to enter the state illegally.
The scale of the operations run by crime groups suggests that many migrants still enter Ireland undetected.
Once here they travel to Dublin and many make their way to Britain, possibly via Northern Ireland.