Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said he has ordered a “complete review” of US preclearance in Ireland after the President Trump’s controversial clamp down on immigration last weekend, Daniel McConnell, Political Editor.
It has been confirmed that the issue of preclearance at Irish airports will be discussed at Cabinet tomorrow after Childrens’ Minister Katherine Zappone called for it to be put on the agenda.
Mr Kenny, speaking at a press conference in Dublin with British Prime Minister Theresa May, said he has ordered the review in light of the executive order from President Trump.
“In respect of the policy that used by the American government, I disagree with it. I will say that to the President [Trump] and the vice-President [Mike Pence] when I meet with them. I have asked for a complete review now of the pre-clearance facilities here in Ireland in respect of the three departments that are handling this so we can be clear of the importance of it,” Mr Kenny said.
“It must be remembered that pre-clearance bring enormous convenience to a lot of people so these are issues we are happy to negotiate on. I don’t agree with this policy and he will my reasons when I meet him,” the Taoiseach said.
Mr Kenny was speaking at about the same time that news broke of the first person being stopped at Dublin Airport on foot of Trump’s controversial executive order.
For her part, Mrs May, took a softer line.
“In respect of the policies which have been announced by the United States, the UK takes a different approach,” she said.
“At no stage in the six years when I was Home Secretary did I introduce those sort of arrangements. Obviously, President Trump has been elected and is implemented what he promised he would. But we have a different approach,” she said.
Over the weekend, Mr Trump put a 120-day hold on allowing refugees into the US, an indefinite ban on refugees from Syria and a 90-day bar on citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
Dublin and Shannon airports are among a small number of sites in the world that offer preclearance to passengers travelling to the US.
By clearing customs and immigration checks before departure, they are then treated as domestic arrivals on reaching the US.
A spokesman for the Department of Transport confirmed that there has been one case where a person was refused preclearance to the US at Dublin Airport. It is not known where the individual is from.
It is understood that the new immigration regulations have so far had no impact on passengers travelling to the US through Shannon Airport.
Since the regulations were introduced over the weekend, a number of scheduled flights have departed Shannon for New York and Boston.
It is believed that none of those travelling were found to be in breach of the restrictions.
Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Shane Ross has said the Trump administration’s decisions on immigration will have earth-shattering consequences globally.
Speaking after addressing a meeting of the Association of European Journalists, Mr Ross said he was very concerned about what President Donald Trump had done.
