Sunday, May 21, 2006

Mexicans aren't all that bad

At least we don't have to deal with Afghani freeloaders. More "refugees" trying to take advantage of Ireland's screwed up system:

Afghans' Irish hunger strike ends
Seven of 41 volunteer to go to hospital; police remove the rest

Irish police patrol outside St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, where the asylum-seekers were holed up Saturday.
All of the men were released on bail on Sunday and ordered to return to court Thursday.
The week-long hunger strike ended peacefully Saturday evening, Ireland's Ministry of Justice confirmed.
The standoff began a week ago when the group of about 41 males refused to leave the church until all of them were granted asylum by the Irish government.The seven youngest voluntarily left in ambulances for treatment for dehydration at a hospital Saturday evening. Soon after that, a large number of Irish police moved in to remove the men who remained inside, according to radio reporter Fergal O'Brien.Despite earlier threats of violence, the men did not resist when police removed them from the church, O'Brien said.The minors were taken into custody of health officials, and the men were taken into police custody, according to a statement from the Ministry of Justice.The exact charges against them are not known.
The youngest of those appearing in court was 18 years old; the oldest, 61.When the standoff began Sunday afternoon -- May 14 -- they said they feared for their lives if forced to return to Afghanistan and would rather die of starvation in Ireland, O'Brien said.It was not clear if there were any special circumstances concerning the men that would make them more likely to be targeted for attacks in their home country, O'Brien said.The Church of Ireland conducted talks with the men for the first five days, until Ireland's Department of Justice intervened and the Garda -- Ireland's national police -- moved in.
Three of the men suffering from dehydration were taken to a hospital Friday and not allowed to return to the church. Earlier, several who were treated by doctors did rejoin the protest.It was not clear what triggered the hunger strike since most of them had not exhausted all legal avenues for asylum, O'Brien said.Some of the refugees arrived in Ireland just in the last weeks, while others have been in the country for as long as three years. At least two already have the right to remain in the country, and deportation warrants have been issued for only two.The standoff has been tense and emotional. At one point, 20 of them climbed to the top of the church organ loft and tied nooses around their necks. They threatened to jump from the 60-foot high balcony if police try to remove them.
Ireland's Justice Minister Michael McDowell said the incident has not affected the department's position "that our system of considering asylum is fair and up to best practice internationally."
"No favours or exceptions will be done for anyone who seeks to thwart the system by actions of this kind and the applicants will now be considered in accordance with the process," the minister said in a statement.

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