AN EMAIL LANDED in the inbox of thousands of people staying in Ireland’s international protection centres last week, making them an offer the Government hopes they won’t refuse.

“Are you thinking of returning home?” the leaflet asks.

“For a limited time only” Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan is increasing what is known as a reintegration grant – a payment asylum seekers can receive to voluntarily return to their native country and avoid deportation if their claim fails.

According to the leaflet, the government is extending this offer to approximately 35,000 people going through the asylum process.

Families are being offered €10,000 and individual asylum seekers up to €2,500 if they drop their claim leave Ireland. An existing allowance of €1,200 for an individual or €2,000 for a couple or family is in place.

The offer has been met with criticism by migrant groups, with NGO Irish Refugee Council calling it an attempt to “coax” or “to lure” people away from Ireland.

What do people in the international protection system itself think?

People seeking international protection in Ireland told The Journal that they found aspects of the government’s offer infuriating, naive and little better than a “bribe” to leave the country.

Some language in the leaflet was cited by residents of International Protection Accommodation Services centres (Ipas) who feel that it was “threatening” them.

In the document, it says that the Irish government won’t “inform authorities in your country” about their return if they take the money.

A section of the leaflet outlining the differences between deportation and voluntary returns. Department of Justice Department of Justice

One Somalian woman staying at an Ipas centre in Dublin said it would have made no sense for her and her husband to take the offer and bring their children home.

The 30-year-old and her family came here after she converted from Islam to Christianity to marry her husband, but they both found themselves shunned by their relations.

She outlined how her home was burned down as a result during an attack by people known to her – a medical report notes the injuries the woman still suffers to her spine following the attack.

So we take the money and go back – to what? Honestly, is the money we’re being told to take worth more than our own lives and those of our children?

Another man, aged in his 40s, came here in recent months from the US because of the ramped up deportation efforts under President Donald Trump to deport migrants.

This man, who is a US citizen but of Latino heritage, cited the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency – better known as ICE – as one reason for his move.

He outlined being in a mixed-race marriage, and that he and his family had faced “threats of people calling ICE” in their town in the state of Pennsylvania.

According to recent data on the agency, one-in-five Latinos with no criminal record are arrested and detained by ICE agents.

The Department of Justice has been asked when the increased payment offer ends and for further comment.

Why some people might take the offer

Several people staying in Ipas centres told The Journal the payment might appeal to some who had been studying in other countries, such as the UK, but had to leave because they couldn’t find a sponsoring company to continue their stay.

If they wanted to stay in Europe, some opt for Ireland due to the easier nature of crossing the border after arriving in Belfast and other cities in the North.

Another aspect that might appeal to this group is that, if they take the payment, they will be able to return to Ireland and other EU states legally.

Although the number of people coming to Ireland seeking asylum has almost halved this year, there are still up to 1,000 people arriving each month. This has seen the government try and reduce numbers in various ways, including by ramping up deportations.

One man in his late 20s from Nigeria, who arrived two years ago, said he feels that the government and some in the public put too much emphasis on the economic conditions of asylum seekers.

He said that part of the appeal of coming here is that both Ireland and Nigeria share English as a common language.

But this man complained of a view that asylum seekers are “dumb and broke”, when there was “€17,000 in my bank account coming here”.

“I ended up in Ireland because my life was in danger,” he said, outlining threats received from paramilitary groups in northern Nigeria. “The money won’t make me go back.”

Defending the measure this week, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan said his actions would be “saving the state money” by offering an incentive for people to leave the country at an earlier stage.

He said, on average, it costs €122,000 to process an international protection applicant’s claim.

O’Callaghan’s department confirmed this includes costs for accommodation and food, social protection payments, health care and education.