Mary Lou McDonald defends Sinn Fein’s stance on ‘open borders’

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has defended her party’s rhetoric on “open borders”, arguing that it has long been her position on immigration.

Ms McDonald claimed that there has been “a lot of misinformation” around migration and accused the Government of “scrambling” on the issue.

“Sinn Fein is not for open borders, we are for a system that is fair, human rights compliant, efficient,” she said on Sunday.

When it was put to Ms McDonald that Ireland doesn’t have open borders, Ms McDonald said: “I have used that term for clarification purposes, and I’ve been using that language and making that point as far back as 2007.”

She referenced an Irish Times report from 2007 where Ms McDonald, then an MEP for Dublin, said Sinn Fein is not in favour of an “open door” or “open border” policy on migration.

“I made the point then, and I make the point now, that anyone who says that Sinn Fein is for open borders is wrong.

“We are for a system that is orderly, that is fair, that is human rights compliant, that is efficient – that’s an important piece – and that is enforced.”

Asked what had changed since Ms McDonald told RTE’s This Week programme in February that “there is no such thing” as “open borders” and that Ireland does not have “open borders”, she said: “Nothing has changed”.

“I’ve been saying since 2007 – go and check the Irish Times – that we’re not for open borders,” she added.

“Let me repeat: we want a system that is that is fair, that is efficient, that’s enforced.”

During the RTE interview, which aired on February 4, she also said: “I hear people talk about this business of ‘open borders’. This seems to be a line that’s peddled by some. There’s no such thing, Ireland doesn’t have open borders.

“We have a system that is rules-based, that is based in law and it has to be efficient, it has to be fair, it has to comply with human rights standards, with international law and it also has to be applied. And I think reasonable people will see that as a fair and a sustainable way to proceed.”

Ms McDonald was speaking on Sunday as the party launched its campaign for the local, European and Limerick mayoral elections at The Helix on the Dublin City University campus.

Walking on stage to address hundreds of delegates, Ms McDonald raised her fists above her head and blew a kiss.

“It’s time for something new,” she said.

Ms McDonald said that after her party’s landslide general election win in 2020, in which they won 25% of first preference votes and 37 Dail seats, people had told her her party didn’t run enough candidates.

She said people told her this at matches and in shops as well as shouting it to her from car windows.

Stretching her arms out wide, she told the gathering: “I now present Sinn Fein’s record number of candidates for the local and European elections.

“We are standing in every single electoral area. This is a really big team effort.”

Standing at a podium that said “change starts here”, Ms McDonald said that change means “being able to see a doctor when you’re sick”; retiring at the age 65 with a pension; “fully” resourcing An Garda Siochana and “ambitiously” investing in communities.

Ms McDonald also criticised successive governments for their treatment of the Stardust families, children waiting for scoliosis surgeries, and called on the Government to “immediately” review the reopening of emergency departments in Ennis and Nenagh.

Stormont First Minister Michelle O’Neill was given a standing ovation as she addressed the delegation of local election and European candidates.

Stormont Economy Minister Conor Murphy, Senator Lynn Boylan, and frontbench TDs such as Eoin O Broin and Pearse Doherty were also in attendance at the event.

Asked about the phrase “open borders” on Sunday, Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys, who is also a Fine Gael TD for Cavan-Monaghan, said: “The only open border we have is with Northern Ireland, and we want to keep that in place.

“We fought hard to keep that open border during Brexit and it’s important that that stays.

“I think people need to be careful in the language that they use, because it can cause difficulties. We know what the British said around Brexit, it was: ‘Bring back our borders.’

“That’s wrong. We shouldn’t be talking like that, it’s dangerous language. We need to be careful.”