Holly Cairns Calls Out Harris’s ‘Panic’ Immigration Rhetoric

UPDATE: Holly Cairns, leader of the Social Democrats, has condemned Simon Harris’s recent “tough on immigration” rhetoric as a clear sign of government panic following the recent presidential election. The election saw leftist candidate Catherine Connolly secure a decisive victory, prompting Cairns’s accusations that Harris’s comments are politically motivated.

In a heated appearance on The Late Late Show tonight, Cairns criticized Harris for stating that the number of individuals entering Ireland is “too high.” His remarks come in the wake of significant unrest at the Citywest campus last month and a perceived failure by the government to manage immigration effectively. “We used to live in a country where 2,000 to 3,000 people sought international protection each year. That number has gone to, in or around, 20,000; that is a very, very significant increase, and it is too high,” Harris asserted.

Cairns argued that Harris is “fudging the numbers” by incorporating individuals with work permits into immigration statistics. “All he’s trying to do is use ‘tough on immigration’ language,” she stated, emphasizing the misleading nature of his comments.

According to the latest report from the Department of Justice, the number of asylum applications has actually decreased. In October, there were 1,053 applications, marking a 71% decline from 1,479 applications during the same month last year. This trend counters Harris’s claims and raises questions about the accuracy of his immigration narrative.

Cairns pointed out that the government’s reaction appears to stem from a desperate response to the election results. “What we’ve seen is a very obvious reaction to the result of the presidential election. The government seems to be in panic mode,” she noted. She accused the administration of deflecting blame for its failures onto immigrants, describing this tactic as “irresponsible” and “reprehensible” given the current climate of unrest.

She added, “In the current climate, when things are so fragile, just a number of days after the riots outside Citywest, it’s actually reprehensible. It fans the flames of a very serious and delicate situation.” Cairns has called for Harris to take responsibility for the potential impact of his rhetoric on public sentiment and social stability.

As tensions rise within the government and among the public, all eyes are on how the situation will evolve. The implications of these comments could reverberate through upcoming policy decisions and influence the ongoing immigration debate in Ireland.

Stay tuned for further updates as this story develops.