Whatever is happening elsewhere in Europe, Ireland does not have a migrant crisis. The 2011 census shows that 12 per cent of people living here are of migrant origin. Three-quarters of these are of “other white background”, 2 per cent are of Asian origin, and just over 1 per cent are African or “other black background”.

Full integration into society is the best way to ensure the health and wellbeing of these new Irish. Integration is defined in current Irish policy (Integration: A Two Way Process, 1999) as “the ability to participate to the extent that a person needs and wishes in all of the major components of society without having to relinquish his or her own cultural identity”.

Integration involves changes in Irish society and institutions so that the benefits of diversity are realised. Many countries have had limited success in integrating migrants because they have pursued policies of assimilation (migrants expected to behave like natives) or ghettoisation (migrants kept together in the same locality), with disastrous results. These policies generate deep resentments in migrant populations and huge health and social problems.

A new Migrant Integration Strategy: A Blueprint for the Future was recently launched by the Department of Justice. The strategy includes actions on, among other things, accessing citizenship and strengthening the law in relation to racist behaviour and hate crimes. It also puts the responsibility on local authorities to promptly remove racist graffiti.

Participating fully

The strategy envisages migrants and their children benefitting fully from the education system and participating fully in “politics and public life as provided for by law”. Integration policies will be mainstreamed in the work of all Government departments, local authorities and other public sector organisations and agencies, such as the HSE.

Although integration is the policy stated in the strategy, some of the language sounds as if assimilation is the real goal. The vision, for example, is that “Migrants interact with the host community and participate with them in cultural, sporting and other activities while preserving their own traditions as they wish”. There is no mention of native Irish participating on an equal level with migrant cultural activities.

As well, the phrase “host community” is an unfortunate choice of words, conjuring up images of, at best, natives magnanimously tolerating migrant cultures, and, at worst, parasites feeding on their hosts. It also implies assimilation as migrants will be introduced “to Irish society to enable them to adapt to it”.

The strategy has a fund of €500,000 for 2017. Grants of up to €5,000 will be provided to community groups for projects to promote integration, which is like giving grants to women’s refuges to prevent violence against women when what is needed is a crackdown on perpetrators.

Levels of prejudice

The Government and State agencies must not make the same mistakes with migrants that they made with Irish Travellers. Assimilation policies pursued over the past 50 years are responsible for Travellers’ terrible health and social status. The most recent report from the ESRI shows that Travellers experience “exceptionally strong levels of prejudice”.

Only 8 per cent complete second level education. Out of a total health and social care workforce of more than 100,000, only 88 are Travellers. Their health deteriorates very rapidly after the age of 35 because of cumulative disadvantage. The Children’s Rights Alliance Report Card 2017 gave a “woeful E?” grade, the lowest possible, to Traveller and Roma children. Traveller children leave school an average of five years earlier than non-Travellers. Traveller babies are 3.6 times more likely to die in infancy than non-Traveller babies.

Being Travellers, migrants or Roma is not the problem. First Nations people in Canada, the US and Australia also have poor health because of the assimilation and ghettoisation policies pursued by mainly white immigrants. Being treated unequally and unfairly is the root cause of the health and social problems that develop in these communities.

Without equality, integration will not happen. Unfortunately, the Government strategy says almost nothing on treating migrants equally and fairly. It does recognise the importance of “equality of opportunity” but does not say how this might come about. Interpreting facilities will be provided so that services can be accessed on an equal basis and that’s it.

The strategy must be closely monitored over the next few years to ensure integration is happening. If not, a new strategy must be developed with an emphasis on equality or Ireland will end up with a migrant crisis.