A NUMBER OF immigrant representative groups have expressed concern at Garda plans to carry out “immigration checks” as part of a wider plan to tackle rates of inner city crime in Dublin.

A statement by the Garda Press Office announced so-called “days of high impact visibility” which will involve checkpoints, execution of warrants, service of summons, intelligence-led searches and arrests, immigration checks, and enforcement of road traffic offences.

Brian Killoran, CEO of the Immigrant Council of Ireland, said that it is crucial that Gardaí avoid disproportionately targeting minority groups.

“Such actions inadvertently feed a false narrative that migrants are more likely to be perpetrators. Such narratives are routinely spread by far-right agitators and are patently false.”

Edel McGinley, Director of the Migrants Rights Centre Ireland similarly said “we are very concerned about the risk of ethnic profiling and the unjustified and disproportionate inclusion of such measures.

“These checks have the potential to totally undermine efforts by An Garda Síochána to build positive relations with migrant and ethnic minority communities.”

The MRCI have written to Justice Minister Helen McEntee and Assistant Garda Commissioner Angela Willis as to why immigration checks have been included alongside measures to increase Garda presence.

In response to a rise in violent crime in the capital, Gardaí say they are working to increase visibility in the capital.

Speaking on the News at One in response to a question about the immigration checks, Assistant Commissioner Angela Willis said that Gardaí will be looking at all criminality in the city centre.

“That may include people not registering when they’re required to do so by legislation, or in some circumstances, maybe people who have deportation orders and who haven’t left the state in the time provided for them to do that.”

A spokesperson for An Garda Síochána has said that the checks performed under Operation Citizen are no different to immigration checks carried out in the normal course of events.