“It could have been a human disaster” for the migrants who arrived in a shipping container at Rosslare earlier, according to the leader of Aontú.

On The Pat Kenny Show today, Deputy Peadar Tóibín called for an increase in security at Irish ports in light of today's incident.

Fourteen people, including two children, were discovered in a refrigerated lorry at Rosslare Port at 1am this morning after a 999 call was made from inside the trailer.

The occupants, who are understood to be Kurdish and Vietnamese nationals, were later processed at City West in Dublin.

Deputy Tóibín said it was a close call.

“The fact that this type of situation is happening over and over again is wrong,” he said.

“We have a situation where people have died in significant numbers in other countries and in Ireland, in terms of trying to get into the country.

“On a human level, first and foremost, we need to make sure this doesn’t happen and these people are protected from smugglers bringing them on this route.”

The Meath West TD noted how the occupants believed they were travelling to the UK, which he believes is a common occurrence.

Justice Minister

Deputy Tóibín said he has engaged with Justice Minister Helen McEntee on the issue in the past.

“The Minister for Justice indicated to us that 76% of people applying for asylum are doing it at the International Protection Office,” he said.

“They’re not applying at the airports or the ports, which creates a number of serious questions – how are these people coming into Ireland?

“We understand they are coming in through visas like tourist or working visas, they’re coming through the North of Ireland through Britain – or they’re coming through a smuggled fashion.”

File photo of Gardai attending a separate container incident in Rosslare in 2019. Image: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews.ie

Deputy Tóibín said questions must now be asked of the Minister.

“She admits to us that she simply doesn’t know how these people are coming in,” he said.

“I think that’s a major problem that the person in charge of the integrity of the asylum process in this country simply doesn’t know how people are coming in in 76% of the cases.”

Survived

Transport Minister Eamon Ryan said he was grateful the migrants discovered at Rosslare Port today had survived their journey.

“My understanding is, thank God their lives weren’t threatened - which they could have been,” he said.

“We’ve seen in the past when people arrive in those containers, you open the doors and people have died – thank God that wasn’t the case in this instance.”

Minister Ryan said they will now be processed through the immigration system.

“They will be managed under our International Protection scheme as we manage all people.

They will be treated with fairness, treated with basic human rights.

It’s a real challenge at the moment, we all know that, but it’s one we as a country can and will meet.”

He added that Ireland needs to “play our part” in international protection to the “best of our abilities”.

You can listen back here:

Main image: A passenger ferry pictured at Rosslare Harbour. Image: Clare Gainey / Alamy Stock Photo