The Migrant Rights Centre Ireland has welcomed the introduction of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Restoration of Birthright Citizenship) Bill 2017 by Solidarity TDs.
The Bill – which would restore birthright citizenship and ensure that all children born in Ireland are Irish citizens – will be put forward in the Dáil this evening (Thursday 17th January).
Mairéad McDevitt, MRCI youth worker, said “We’re happy to see this vital issue being discussed in the Dáil. This is about providing stability, security and hope to children and young people across Ireland. Right now, many face the prospect of being deported from the only home they’ve ever known.”
McDevitt continued,“Tens of thousands of people signed petitions in support of Eric in Bray and Nonso in Tullamore. Polling showed that 71% of the public believe that a child born in Ireland should be entitled to Irish citizenship. The Ireland of 2019 is not the Ireland of 2004; we’ve turned our backs on the scaremongering tactics surrounding the 2004 referendum. Communities are standing up for children and young people, and our politicians must do the same.”
NOTES
The full text of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Restoration of Birthright Citizenship) Bill 2017 is available at https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/bills/bill/2017/36/?fbclid=IwAR1yXQhWPwSTVjEbqjJqoNLlpvg1HcnNVSVAa-3AT6JX5ldsmueOzhidWLo&tab=bill-text
Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) has been working with undocumented families and children in Ireland since 2001. MRCI’s youth group Young, Paperless & Powerful, established in 2015,has been raising awareness about the issue and is actively campaigning for legislative change for all undocumented children and young people in Ireland, whether they are born here or not. The group released a film in November 2018 about growing up undocumented in Ireland. The film is viewable in full at https://www.mrci.ie/press-centre/young-undocumented-dubliners-release-a-short-film-about-their-lives-20-11-18/
