Up to 90% of Asylum Seekers Entered Ireland via Northern Ireland Border in 3 Years

Up to 90% of asylum seekers in Ireland may have entered via the Northern Ireland Border in the past three years, according to government figures. Data indicates the Common Travel Area (CTA) is exploited in both directions, but more frequently by those seeking asylum in the Republic than in the UK.

The UK Home Office reported apprehending over 900 «immigration offenders» abusing the open Border in the past year. Conversely, Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs noted 16,600 asylum applications at airports or ports, with many thought to have traveled from Britain to Ireland via Belfast flights or ferries.

The CTA is under scrutiny following a knife attack in Belfast on Monday. The suspect, Hadi Alodid, 30, a Sudanese refugee, is charged with attempted murder. He traveled from Sudan to Paris, then Dublin, before taking a bus to Belfast where he claimed asylum in 2023. Police reinforcements were sent from Britain to Northern Ireland on Thursday.

Asylum applications in Ireland surged from about 5,000 before 2019 to a peak of 18,500 between 2022 and 2024. During this period, only 10% applied at airports or ports, while 90% made first-time applications in person at the International Protection Office in Dublin. In 2025 and 2026, these proportions were 88% and 90% respectively.

Without physical border checks, precise illegal crossings are unverified, but in 2024, then-Justice Minister Helen McEntee stated 80% were crossing the Border. The Department of Foreign Affairs assessment, based on staff experience and interview material, confirms a significant proportion of first-time international protection applicants entered via the land Border.

The Irish government expressed deep concern over the Belfast violence and is collaborating with the British government on CTA abuses. They expect to revive a post-Brexit returns agreement, which previously saw only one asylum seeker returned to Ireland from the UK. The 2020 deal was delayed after a Dublin High Court ruling deemed the UK's Rwanda policy meant it was not a «safe country.» Re-operationalizing the agreement is contingent on the UK's redesignation as a safe third country.

Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn discussed cross-Border cooperation with Irish Ministers Jim O’Callaghan and Helen McEntee, and Northern Ireland Minister Naomi Long. Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly raised questions about immigration policy and Dublin checks. Critics call the CTA a «back door to Britain,» with DUP leader Gavin Robinson advocating for border closure. Taoiseach Micheál Martin acknowledged the CTA's benefits but stressed the need for constant management against abuse.