Britain is seeking to move frontline immigration controls into Ireland’s ports and airports post-Brexit as they attempt to stop Ireland becoming a back door into Britain.
The attempted introduction of British immigration controls at Irish ports and airports will be in a move to prevent a hard border being reintroduced between the north and south of Ireland according to The Guardian.
Speaking to The Guardian, The Northern Ireland secretary James Brokenshire said that London and Dublin will work to strengthen Ireland’s borders in order to prevent illegal travel to the UK from Ireland post-Brexit.
“We have put in place a range of measures to further combat illegal migration working closely with the Irish government,” Brokenshire said. “Our focus is to strengthen the external border of the common travel area [CTA], building on the strong collaboration with our Irish partners.”
James Brokenshire talking at the Conservative Party Conference in October 2016. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
Following Britain’s vote to leave the EU in June, there were whispers that there may be a return of a hard border between north and south in Ireland, with such measures likely to be violation of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
However, according to Brokenshire, the shifting of the onus on border controls into Ireland would mean that such a border wouldn’t be necessary.
The measures will be primarily to stop non-Europeans from entering the UK illegally. Members of the common travel area will still be able to enter Ireland freely but Britain think the numbers of EU residents wishing to work illegally in Britain will be quite small.
The Irish government has confirmed that it is in negotiations with Westminster to share intelligence to improve immigration controls for people from outside Britain and Ireland.
However, it does seem likely that any tightening of Ireland’s border controls would have to be negotiated with the agreement of the EU but Minster for Foreign Affairs and Trade Charlie Flanagan has welcomed all attempts to maintain an invisible border between the north and south of Ireland.
