Some adult asylum seekers may be claiming to be minors when arriving in the Republic, adding to “severe demands” on an already under-strain system for unaccompanied child asylum seekers, internal department briefings have warned.
Over the last two years there has been a significant increase in the number of underage asylum seekers arriving into the State without guardians. Internal records show the Department of Children flagged concerns that in some cases, adults were claiming to be under 18 years of age in initial interviews with staff from the International Protection Office.
Briefing notes from department officials state that these asylum seekers were later “assessed” to be adults, “or report afterwards that they are adults”. This was “adding to the already severe demands” on the system, the briefing said.
When a person claiming asylum alleged they were a minor, the preliminary interview with international protection staff was suspended and the person was “immediately referred” to Tusla, the child and family agency, the briefing stated. There was a need for international protection officials to conduct “a more in-depth interview” before the case was handed over to the Tusla team responsible for unaccompanied minors, it stated.
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The department briefing was written in March 2024 and released under the Freedom of Information Act to Aontú TD Peadar Tóibín.
Tusla, which is responsible for looking after child asylum seekers, said it had seen an “unprecedented” increase in the numbers of unaccompanied minors in the last two years. “The priority for these children and young people is to reunify them with their families where possible, either in Ireland or in other member states,” a spokesman said.
Social workers carry out an assessment of asylum seekers who claim to be under 18, examining their journey, family network and personal and social development, he said. “In some instances, the young person is determined not to be eligible, but wherever doubt exists the benefit of the doubt is given,” he said.
Some 250 unaccompanied minors had been “discharged” from Tusla’s care as they turned 18, between March 2022 and March 2024. The vast majority of these young people (191) had fled Ukraine following the Russian invasion, according to Tusla figures. A further 83 children from Ukraine who had sought protection in the Republic were later reunited with family members during the two-year period.
The increase in arrivals of underage asylum seekers has put a further strain on Tusla services, with many unaccompanied minors being housed in unregulated emergency accommodation run by privately contracted care staff.
A further internal briefing from Tusla warned there was “no evidence” that the number of children in State care living in emergency accommodation was falling, despite the efforts of the agency. The growth of the unregulated sector of private companies running emergency accommodation posed a risk that Tusla would be the victim of “fraudulent activity”, the March 2024 briefing stated.
In a statement, Mr Tóibín said children in the emergency arrangements were at increased risk of being exploited or trafficked. “The upcoming budget must tackle the problem and properly fund and support foster carers and the private and voluntary sector” to allow Tusla to move away from its reliance on emergency accommodation, he said.
Some 184 children in care were living in emergency arrangements at the start of August, three quarters of whom were unaccompanied minors. A spokesman for Tusla said the agency was “exhausting all avenues” to increase the number of places in regulated group care homes, to move children out of the emergency accommodation as soon as possible.
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