Life in Ireland with DJ Ram
There will always be immigrants, whether it’s foreign countries welcoming Irish people going abroad, or people from other lands coming here. Just how many depends on the economy or laws in any given country. If people thought that Ireland was a fortress, nobody would bother coming here. But because people know that in Ireland’s history there was some hardship, they feel immigrants will get a sympathetic hearing.
Ireland’s economy was going really well some years ago, and this is part of the reason immigrants started coming here – because people will always follow the money. But whatever their motivations, these people should get the protection they need when they come here.
Immigration becomes a problem when immigrants have no protection – when you see women trafficked by criminal gangs, for instance. Such problems need to be dealt with properly.
It is now much harder for people to come here compared with just a few years ago. Coming from Libya, my home country, has got much harder lately, and the government there has to bargain with the European authorities, who won’t allow refugees unless they get what they want from Libya.
It is so sad to see people being exploited by smugglers, some are Libyans like me or from other African countries. What immigrants need is a key to a better life in the form of residency or citizenship.
I think that many refugees are deliberately mistreated. Some unscrupulous employers hire undocumented Africans for next to nothing. It’s much cheaper than doing things legitimately, like organising visas and permits and such. But for the employees, there is nothing to protect them.
Today I’m happy to say I’m now an Irish citizen. After living here for 23 years I finally got my passport! I didn’t need it before, but in these turbulent times it’s a badge of protection.
To be continued...
DJ Ram, originally from Libya, is a DJ and proprietor of the Dublin-based reggae music store In Dub
