Ukrainian refugees in state of 'constant stress' over future of accommodation in East Cork

A Cork TD has said that Ukrainian refugees in Youghal are in a state of “constant stress and worry” while awaiting a decision on whether they will be moved from their current accommodation and when it might happen.

Social Democrats TD for Cork East Liam Quaide pointed out that Ukrainian refugees, after being integrated into communities are now “being crudely uprooted as we enter new political headwinds”.

Speaking in the Dáil, he said: “In my constituency of Cork East, a large group of Ukrainian residents were served with an inhumane, emotionally detached eviction notice in January.

“The residents have become part of the local community in East Cork. They have children attending schools and are working locally, the families are contributing to the local community and economy.

“There is clearly a calcifying of political attitudes towards Ukrainian refugees that is very worrying.

“The eviction notice for the Ukrainian residents in Youghal has been paused, and while this is welcome, they are now plunged into another type of constant stress and worry; a limbo in which they know that their current living circumstances are going to change outside of their control, yet they have no sense of when that will happen or what exactly it will involve.

“When, as a Government, we invite people to seek refuge here and promote the idea — if not always the practice — of integration, then the Government has a duty to not just suddenly uproot those families and sunder them from their connections at the point when they are actually integrated, and doing this purely because the political fashions have suddenly changed.

“As Ukraine is being discarded by the US government and thrown to the wolves in the Kremlin, decency and compassion and sensible planning needs to win out over populist reactivity in our policies towards their refugee population living here.

“People need to plan their lives — they should not be at the mercy of a reactive, knee-jerk politics.”