A CAPUCHIN Brother has criticised the Garda National Immigration Bureau for rounding up immigrants outside a homeless centre in Dublin yesterday afternoon.
Brother Kevin Crowley of the Capuchin Day Centre on Bow Street in the north city said some 25-30 non-Irish nationals were taken away in Garda vehicles after having dinner in the facility.
He said the centre does not have an issue with gardaí carrying out their duties, but that he took exception to the activity happening at a place where people come seeking assistance.
“What annoyed me about it was the centre being seen as an easy target where they could find these people,” Brother Crowley said.
“People come here every day and see it as a safe place where they can have a meal without having to deal with questions about their background. This was not appropriate.”
The Capuchin centre was founded in the late 1960s and was predominantly visited by homeless Irish people. However, it has in recent years seen an increase in the number of non-Irish nationals attending and some 300 people now have dinner in it each day.
A Garda spokesman said the move was part on an ongoing immigration operation and that further details were not available last night.
