Abstract
Only in recent years has Ireland had to deal with appreciable numbers of asylum seekers coming to her shores. The reception of asylum seekers awaiting determination of refugee claims has drastically altered in that period. From inclusion to exclusion has been the hallmark of thelegal regulation of reception conditions for asylum seekers. Legal protection from the Irish courts in ensuring a degreeof socio-economic protection to asylum seekers is unlikelyto be forthcoming. Traditional arguments on asylees’rights as being “different” from Irish citizens and those ofother residents have been utilized to justify exclusion fromthe welfare state. Ensuring the reception of asylum seekerswithin traditional welfare state structures, where their rights and needs are considered in a similar manner tothose of citizens, is the underlying argument of this paper.
Source: Refuge, Canadian Periodical on Refugees, Vol 24, No 2 (2007): Informing Integration pp.86-100.