The Exclusion of Refugees and Asylum Seekers from Irish Society

Irish government policy towards refugees and asylum seekers is increasingly restrictive and geared towards confining their participation in and excluding them from Irish society. This is evident from a regime created through institutions and policies that stratify rights in accordance with race-based administrative categories, with refugees and asylum seekers occupying the lowest levels. This trend is also reflected in the media in Ireland where negative framing of refugee and asylum issues as threats to security and to the moral fabric of society has normalised these policies of exclusion. The fact that the media is mainstream society''s main source of information about marginalised groups like asylum seekers and refugees, and the fact that the government and policy-makers have the greatest voice within the media has important implications for the way in which the public view refugees and asylum seekers.