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Over half of those left at controversial Athlone asylum facility could begin to leave next week

Over half of those left at controversial Athlone asylum facility could begin to leave next week

Over half of the people seeking asylum occupying a controversial emergency accommodation centre in Athlone will tell the government by next week whether they have accepted alternative accommodation offered to them.
At the High Court on Monday, senior counsel Aoife Carroll, for the government, told Ms Justice Emily Farrell that of the remaining 125 people at the accommodation centre, 70 people had received offers of alternative accommodation and that the court should know their answers next week.
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Last month, Ms Carroll told the court that 137 people were in emergency accommodation at the facility, but that figures were dropping as alternative accommodation was being sought.
The High Court action was taken by Independent Ireland councillor for Athlone-Moate District Paul Hogan, who successfully applied to the court in December for a judicial review, arguing that the expedited development was unlawful. The State has conceded to the court that the statutory instrument used to expedite the construction of the facility was "invalid" and is working on repairing legislation.
A Statutory Instrument is a secondary legislation made by a Minister, modifying or supplementing existing laws.
Cllr Hogan is taking the case against the office of the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.
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Cllr Hogan claimed the Minister failed to adequately "screen" the project for potential environmental impacts and that the Minister lacked the expertise to carry out such assessments in such an expedited manner.
Protests have been held in Athlone over the plan to further develop army-tent accommodation for a possible 1,000 asylum seekers.
Last month, Ms Justice Farrell said she would defer judgment, quashing the use of the Statutory Instrument used to develop the emergency accommodation at Lissywollen in Athlone, Co Westmeath.
Ms Justice Farrell had said she wanted to wait for updates and to see draft legislation from the Oireachtas. The government submitted it intended to remedy the legal issue over the bypassing of environmental assessments for the accommodation.
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Today, Ms Carroll said the department was continuing to work to reduce the number of people at the facility, but that there was "significant pressure" on the system.
Regarding the repairing legislation, Ms Carroll said "we have not made the progress hoped".
Ms Carroll said that "significant work" had been done on a general scheme and that it was hoped this would go for drafting in preparation for legislation.
Ms Carroll again asked for the court not to make final orders in the matter and to maintain the status quo pending the legislation, which is hoped to be put to the Dáil in November.
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Ms Justice Farrell adjourned the matter to next week but warned she could not keep deferring final orders when the government had "ample opportunity" to put legislation before the Dáil.
David O'Brien BL, for Cllr Hogan, said the government indicating "loose dates" had been "a regrettable motif" in the case.
Any November date for the legislation to come before the Dáil, which was indicated to the court in May, had been initially "unrealistic... now, it is at the point of untenable" and his client was left "without a modicum of explanation", he said.
Cllr Hogan claims the ministerial process employed was "unlawful, irrational and a breach of fair procedures".
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Controversial AI technology will assess disputed ages of UK Asylum seekers
Controversial AI technology will assess disputed ages of UK Asylum seekers

The Independent

time24 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Controversial AI technology will assess disputed ages of UK Asylum seekers

New Artificial intelligence technology will be used to assess disputed ages of asylum seekers who say they are children, the Home Office has said. The facial age estimation system will be rolled out on an initial trial basis. Ministers hope to launch it for use on migrants arriving in the UK on small boats and lorries in 2026, subject to further testing of the technology to go ahead this year. The technology, trained on millions of images of people with confirmed ages, has been decided as the 'most cost-effective option' to assess ages in such cases where it is unknown or disputed, according to border security minister Dame Angela Eagle. The announcement on Tuesday comes as the borders watchdog report into Home Office age assessments said it is 'inevitable' that some decisions will be wrong without a 'foolproof test' of chronological age. The watchdog added this is 'clearly a cause for concern, especially where a child is denied the rights and protections to which they are entitled'. Currently initial age decisions are made by Home Office staff based on a migrant's physical appearance and demeanour. Announcing the move, Dame Angela said in a written statement: 'Accurately assessing the age of individuals is an incredibly complex and difficult task, and the Home Office has spent a number of years analysing which scientific and technological methods would best assist the current process, including looking at the role that artificial intelligence (AI) technology can play. 'Early assessments suggest that Facial Age Estimation could produce workable results much quicker than other potential methods of scientific or technological age assessment, such as bone X-rays or MRI scans, but at a fraction of the cost, and with no requirement for a physical medical procedure or accompanying medical supervision.' It comes as borders watchdog David Bolt's report also published on Tuesday looked at Home Office processes into age assessments, where those crossing the English Channel and first processed at Western Jet Foil, in Dover, Kent, make up a bulk of initial age decisions. Between January 2023 and January 2025, Mr Bolt said 20 out of 59 cases where a person was sent to Manston processing centre as an adult were then later sent back to Western Jet Foil and accepted as being a child. The independent chief inspector of borders and immigration said: 'The environment at Western Jet Foil, and the physical and mental condition of the migrants after a long, arduous, and perilous journey, make the already difficult task of assessing age even more challenging.' The report, which does not cover the Home Office's fresh announcement on using artificial intelligence, calls for officials to involve interpreters, social workers and experts in the process to gain more confidence in its decisions. Mr Bolt said many organisations who advocate for children believe the initial age decision process is 'crude and cruel'. He added: 'Over the years, and again during this inspection, I have listened to young people who felt disbelieved and dismissed by the Home Office, whose hopes have been crushed, and whose mental health has suffered. 'The Home Office has an uphill task in persuading these critics that it can be trusted in this area. Committing to better communication, engagement and collaboration would be a start.' During the visit, inspectors saw examples of a lack of cultural awareness, decisions that relied on generic physical characteristics, and questioning that focused on the migrant's credibility which should not form the basis of an age decision. Mr Bolt also cited concerns from local authorities and NGOs of examples of young people who felt pressured into signing a Home Office 'statement of age' document to say they were over 18 years old, or had not understood what they had been asked to sign. The chief inspector also called for both the Home Office and its critics to agree that some initial age decisions, that are opinion, are wrong, and that some migrants lie about their age. He added that this means not having a type of initial age assessment risks incentivising more to do so, which is not in the best interests of unaccompanied asylum seeking children. Responding to the report, the Home Office accepted all recommendations, including to carry out an evaluation of initial age decision training, and publish guidance on processes needed before someone signs the 'statement of age' form. The Refugee Council welcomed the Government 's response to the report, but also called for caution over the use of AI to determine ages. Chief executive of the charity Enver Solomon said: 'We welcome the decision to abandon intrusive scientific methods like X-rays and MRI, which we have long called for, but we are not convinced that replacing them with AI tools is the answer. 'These technologies continue to raise serious questions about accuracy, ethics and fairness. 'We call on the Government to implement reforms that prioritise professional assessments led by trained social workers, which is the most accurate way to determine age and ensure that every child is properly identified, supported, and given the chance to recover and thrive.'

Channel migrant crossings to double if Starmer crackdown fails
Channel migrant crossings to double if Starmer crackdown fails

Telegraph

timean hour ago

  • Telegraph

Channel migrant crossings to double if Starmer crackdown fails

The number of illegal migrants crossing the Channel is forecast to double this year unless new government measures can curb the flow, independent modelling shows. The research by Richard Wood, one of Britain's top modelling forecasters, takes account of not only weather and sea conditions but also includes asylum grant rates, illegal immigration flows into Europe and dinghy size. His analysis, originally based on five years of data up to the end of 2024, has been accurate in forecasting the numbers reaching the UK so far this year based on 'favourable' weather conditions. More than 23,000 migrants have reached the UK this year, the highest in the first six months of any year since the first arrivals in 2018, which is nearly exactly what Mr Wood's good weather model predicted. He has now updated his analysis, based on the latest asylum grant rates, increasing dinghy size and immigration flows into the EU, and re-run the modelling based on weather data over the past 16 years. The data suggest that unless Sir Keir Starmer is successful in his attempt to stop the people smugglers, migrant crossings will rocket this year. The Prime Minister has negotiated a 'one in,one out' deal with the French by which illegal migrants coming to the UK will be swapped for people who are able to come here legally. If the weather is as good as it was in 2024, when there was a surge in crossings in the second half of the year, then the total number reaching the UK by the end of 2025 will be 44,628, according to Mr Wood's model. This is just below the number of migrant arrivals in 2022, the highest on record, when 45,774 migrants crossed the Channel in small boats. If, however, the weather is as bad as it was in the second half of 2023, then the total number crossing will be as low as 36,965. This would still be the second highest total on record. The data provide a benchmark against which the Government's new policy measures could be judged to establish if they have an effect on reducing the crossings. Mr Wood said: 'With the 37th UK-France Summit including various deterrent and enforcement pledges for reducing small-boat crossings, these predictions may serve as a useful benchmark against which progress can be assessed.' As well as the 'one in, one out' deal struck with Sir Keir, France is preparing to introduce tougher tactics where officers from an elite police unit will intercept the people smugglers' boats at sea within 300 metres of the coast in an attempt to stop them leaving the coast. They have also been experimenting with jet skis laying nets to snag the dinghies' propellers. Last week, Sir Keir secured a pledge from Friedrich Merz, the Germany's chancellor, that the country would introduce a new law by the end of the year to enable police to seize boats for use by people smugglers in the Channel. The model, which is currently being peer-reviewed for publication in a migration journal, draws on data from sources including the Met Office, Channel Coastal Observatory, Home Office and European Border and Coast Guard Agency. It predicts the daily number of small-boat migrant arrivals for scenarios based on weather and sea conditions, EU illegal immigration, and other factors which may have a deterrent effect. It has two parts: the first that estimates the probability of a day being 'viable', and the second that estimates the number of migrant arrivals on such viable days. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: 'What we already know for sure is that 2025 to date has been the worst year in history for illegal immigrants crossing the channel – it's up 50 per cent versus last year. 'The Government's laughable claim to smash the gangs lies in tatters. Now they think that confiscating mobile phones and sending a tiny number of people to France will make a difference 'Only a removals deterrent will end this madness – where every illegal immigrant is immediately removed upon arrival to their country of origin or to a safe third country. But Yvette Cooper and Keir Starmer are too weak to do that.'

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