Worker in Kildare care home faces deportation risk

The chamber in Dail Eireann - the current run of political debates are getting boring beyond belief according to Pat McArt

placeholder image — The chamber in Dail Eireann - the current run of political debates are getting boring beyond belief according to Pat McArt

A worker in a care home in Co Kildare is facing the risk of deportation, TD Bríd Smith told the Dáil yesterday.

Ms Smith told the Taoiseach that the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service "sent a flood of letters to dozens of immigrants who are being refused leave to remain".

The People Before Profit TD said that one of the people who received a letter was a worker looking after elderly people in a Co Kildare care home.

Smith called on the Minister for Justice to cancel deportation orders for frontline workers during the pandemic.

Smith said: "It is outrageous to threaten them with deportation in the middle of a pandemic. I am particularly concerned that a number of them are care workers. Today I spoke to one who worked right through the pandemic, looking after elderly people in a care home in Kildare.

"Her boss spoke of how she gowned up, was at the front line, entered rooms in which people were Covid-positive.

"We are threatening to deport this woman, other care workers and a slew of other immigrants in the middle of a pandemic. How outrageous is that? The Minister has powers under the Immigration Act to revoke those deportation orders. I am asking that the Taoiseach instruct her to do so, that we do not deport anyone during the pandemic and in particular that we do not throw out people who have worked hard to save our lives and protect us."

The Taoiseach replied in the Dáil that he did not have specific details of the particular cases.

He added: "If the Deputy sends them to me and to my office, we will see what we can do to engage with the Minister on that."

Smith said the minister already has the information and she thanked the Taoiseach for his reply.