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Thread: Secret memo for Cabinet said right to citizenship for Irish-born children was serious security risk in aftermath of the September 11 attacks in New York. Memo prepared by Dept of Justice in 2003 said referendum was needed so Ireland wouldn't remain "target destination" 
Irish law granting citizenship to anyone born on the island of Ireland was "unique" in the European Union and unusual worldwide. It made the country an "attractive target destination" compared to our neighbours, according to the memo:
Becoming a parent of an Irish-born child "attracts greater entitlement" than would be the case in any other EU member state, memo claimed. Said this was putting strain on hospital services and "creating long-term commitments" for the state:
Department considered whether issue could be resolved by legislation. Referendum was seen as better option. Full detail of this is not available as it contains advice from Attorney General (still exempt under FOI)
The memo said the referendum would pay for itself over and over again from a "reduction in illegal immigration". Said it would discourage women in the later stages of pregnancy from travelling to Ireland in the first place:
Such proposals had to be viewed in terms of the effect they would have on specific groups. In the section "impact on women" - Department claimed some women were being pressured to travel to Ireland to have babies. The referendum (if successful) would "alleviate" that
Department also argued referendum could have a positive impact on those in poverty. It said reduction in number of "non-nationals" coming to Ireland would "release resources and improve the availability of services" to "legal residents"
Document obtained by @RightToKnowIE using FOI, and specifically the part that allows access to Cabinet records ... eventually. Something to keep in mind when issues become topical again:
Will post the full set of documents later in the week over @Thestoryie. Memo posted for public information and does not represent me taking any point of view on it (or the arguments contained within it).
You can read a bit more about it on @thejournal_ie at: thejournal.ie/citizenship-ri…
