Disorder in Northern Ireland – what lessons for community cohesion and immigration management?
The Home Affairs Committee and Northern Ireland Affairs Committee will question Home Office and Northern Ireland Ministers, and representatives of policing and immigration agencies.
Meeting details
The session will consider the police response to recent disorder in Northern Ireland and concerns around community cohesion. It will also examine the management of migration within the Common Travel Area, with a focus on the detection and prevention of irregular or unauthorised entry.
In mid-June, Belfast and other parts of Northern Ireland witnessed serious disorder in response to a serious knife attack in the city, reported to have been perpetrated by an asylum claimant with leave to remain. Homes and vehicles were set alight with reports of the homes of minority ethnic communities being specifically targeted. Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service attended 62 incidents. The Police Service of Northern Ireland deployed water cannon to disperse crowds in Newtonabbey in response to objects being fired at police.
The incidents raised concerns around community cohesion in Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission reported that incidents and crimes with a racial motivation are the highest in twenty years. The Community Relations Council told the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee that communities are increasingly concerned about racism and exclusion.
The lack of routine border controls on the land border between the UK and Northern Ireland means there is potential for unauthorised migration, and according to Home Office data there were around 1,500 asylum claims in Northern Ireland in 2025. Only 57 out of around 5,000 immigration staff currently operate in Northern Ireland. Immigration authorities in UK and Ireland operate a joint scheme to intercept and remove migrants who use the Common Travel Area to enter either nation illegally.