Migrants are a drain on the Irish economy .

1. Migrants are a drain on the Irish economy. The majority of migrants are people of working age and do not use services any more than any other group, in fact they contribute to them through taxation. Asylum seekers are not allowed to enter employment until they are granted refugee status and therefore do not have the option to contribute to taxation.

2. Asylum seekers receive cars, mobile phones and services to which Irish people are not entitled. . Asylum seekers are not entitled to free cars or mobile phones. Most are housed in hostel type accommodation until their application is processed and receive €19.10 per week per person. This amount has not increased since 2000.

3. Migrant workers in Ireland have the same rights as Irish workers. Many migrant workers do not have the right to have their family with them or to choose who they work for.

4. Most people are sent to Europe as ‘anchors’ so that the rest of their family can follow them over. Family reunification is a complicated process, and depends on many factors such as relationship between the person’s host country and domestic laws.

5. Ireland has taken its fair share of refugees from the Syrian conflict. Ireland promised to take 4,000 Syrian refugees. As of 9th September 2016, Ireland has only taken in 311.

6. All refugees in Europe are from Syria. In recent times Syria is the largest country of origin for refugees arriving in Europe, however Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya are other countries where many people flee from.

7. Travelling by boat is not actually that dangerous. Many boats used by those fleeing are overcrowded and do not have adequate safety equipment like life jackets. According to the International Order of Malta, more than 3,770 migrants were reported to have died trying to cross the Mediterranean in 2015.

8. Once a person reaches Europe, they are usually granted asylum straight away and can start life as a European citizen. . In 2015, EU countries offered asylum to 292,540 refugees. In the same year, more than a million migrants applied for asylum - although applying for asylum can be a lengthy procedure so many of those given refugee status may have applied in previous years.

9. “Ireland is overcrowded and “full up””. Ireland is not densely populated. The Republic of Ireland has a population of 4.5 million (plus 1.5 million in the North). In the 1820’s before the Irish famine it had 8 million. The population density of Ireland is 65 people per sq. km compared to 260 per sq. km in the UK.

10. “Refugees / boat people are illegal immigrants.” This is untrue. The UN Refugee Convention (to which Ireland is a signatory) recognises that refugees have a lawful right to enter a country for the purposes of seeking asylum, regardless of how they arrive or whether they hold valid travel or identity documents.

11. All Muslims are a security threat Terrorism has been with us in many forms for hundreds of years. Acts of terrorism have been undertaken by individuals, groups, and organisations of different religions, and beliefs, etc. Terrorist organisations are able to recruit those who are victims themselves of oppression, inequality and exploitation. Muslim religious and community leaders were among thefirst to express condemnation following attacks and bombings believing that killings and atrocities have absolutely no sanction in Islam, nor is there any justification in their religion for taking innocent life.