Migrant rights group urges government to stress crime not linked to nationality

A migrant rights organisation has called on the Government to “forcibly” emphasise that people of all nationalities commit crime.

Earlier this week Taoiseach Micheál Martin appeared on Fox News in New York City, where he said Ireland is “not overrun in any shape or form” and acknowledged that the asylum process is slow. When asked about migrant crime, he noted that offenders come from every nationality and said he would have “no issue” with crime statistics including offenders’ citizenship.

On the programme The Hard Shoulder, Doras CEO John Lannon described the Taoiseach’s remarks as “encouraging” and argued that debates on migration must be put into perspective, highlighting migration’s essential role in public services and the economy.

Lannon warned that crime should be separated from migration and that society must be “really careful” in such discussions. He cited a 2025 Department of Justice report, An Evidence Review on Ethnic Monitoring in the Criminal Justice System, which warned that publishing data on minority ethnic groups’ involvement with the criminal justice system could lead to negative interpretation and stigmatisation.

He added that crime rates across Europe have fallen despite continued migration, and that socio‑economic factors such as poverty, lack of prospects and social exclusion, rather than nationality or immigration, drive variations in crime.

Source: Newstalk. Photo: KJ Brix / Pexels.