Thread by @paulsceeny

🧵about #ElectronicTravelAuthorisation the British govt wants to introduce as part of its #NationalityAndBordersBill - esp in light of last night's vote to overturn the recent House of Lords amendment exempting local journeys within island of Ireland.
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irishtimes.com/news/ireland/i…

Firstly, this is being introduced with little/no understanding of day-to-day realities within border communities.
But TBH that's hardly surprising given the current British govt's obsession with little-Englander exceptionalism and its general ignorance of Ireland.
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Though I am a wee bit exasperated that many of those expressing outrage about ETA "leading to a hard border", "tearing up the CTA", "breaking the GFA" are seemingly unaware that's there's already an #InvisibleHardBorder for anyone needing a visa to cross the border.
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The #CommonTravelArea, to be clear, has only ever applied to Irish and British citizens. All other nationalities are subject to different sets of immigration rules - with varying requirements.
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For example, citizens from most African, Asian and South American countries need visas to enter Ireland and the UK - usually separate ones for each jurisdiction.
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At this point it's worth mentioning that Ukrainian citizens can freely enter (26 county) Ireland without needing a visa, but need a UK visa before they can travel into NI. That would include most journeys from Dublin to Donegal, where the direct route is via Fermanagh/Tyrone.
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Also worth pointing out that EU/EEA citizens currently can still enter the UK without needing a visa - and of course they can move freely within the 26 counties (even though Ireland is outside the Schengen area).
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There's no physical infrastructure along the 500km border with nearly 300 crossing points, but that doesn't mean anyone crossing it without permission isn't risking severe consequences if caught.

And there *are* checks - on both sides of the border and elsewhere.
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Indeed there are countless horror stories about blatant racial profiling by Gardaí and UK Border Force officers - singling out dark-skinned people for passport and immigration status checks. Irish/British citizens aren't required to carry ID, but most other nationalities are.
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So to reiterate:
- there is already a hard border for visa nationals
- the CTA has never applied to anyone other than Irish/British citizens
- the GFA isn't really relevant here, at least not directly.
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This briefing note from @nwmforum explains more fully the limitations of the CTA and what these mean in practice from many visa nationals living either side of the border.
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nwmf.org.uk/common-travel-…

Nevertheless, if pre-clearance becomes a requirement for *all* non-Irish/British citizens entering NI then it will harden the border for a vastly greater number of people.

At best it'll create confusion and uncertainty - especially for tourism, but also for residents.
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Whether/how enforcement will be stepped up is less clear. How will Border Force officers even identify the people whose credentials they need to check - other than through lazy stereotyping of people who "look foreign".
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What is likely is they'll continue to monitor people travelling from NI to GB - so we'll probably see more of this.
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itv.com/news/utv/2018-…

No doubt there'll be another attempt to introduce this amendment in the House of Lords, but with an 80-seat majority it's highly unlikely the Tories won't ultimately prevail. The whole ethos of hostile environment and xenophobic English exceptionalism is far too engrained.
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So in the short term, lobbying the Irish govt - at least to try and fix the aspects of this that are within their control - is more likely to be fruitful.

That's not to say we should let the British govt off the hook or stop engaging with them, but priorities...💪
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So @nwmforum has developed four specific asks of the Irish government that would at least improve the situation for non-Irish/British citizens living in the 6 counties. Each of these could be introduced unilaterally, without needing bilateral negotiation.
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Ask 1: all non-EU/EEA residents who have lawful residency in Northern Ireland should have ‘deemed permission’ to cross the border as visitors.
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Ask 2: amend s11(4) of the Immigration Act 2004, to end the requirement for non-EU/EEA citizens to carry and produce passports when crossing the border, and to notify the authorities of their visit in advance.
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Ask 3: amend citizenship law to open a path to Irish citizenship through residency on the island of Ireland, and restore birth entitlements to citizenship.
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Ask 4: ensure that essential cross-border services are open to all non-EU/EEA citizens who have lawful residence on the island of Ireland.
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These four asks wouldn't fix the whole problem - and they wouldn't necessarily stop the British govt going ahead with its attempts to harden the border.

But crucially it would show an intent by the Irish govt to improve rather than worsen the situation.
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Finally, if you want to know more about this campaign or get involved - here's more info
23/end.
nwmf.org.uk/common-travel-…

Quick post-script: no surprise the @duponline's MPs voted with the Tories.

They'll always choose hardening the border over trying to bring people together.

And they'll always side with their hard-right Tory masters against the interests/views of people on this island.
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If you live in NI (and are eligible), make sure you're registered to vote - deadline is 14 April gov.uk/register-to-vo….

And then make sure you get out to vote on 5 May - and send a clear message that we don't want their nasty, divisive, small-minded politics! 🗳️🗳️🗳️
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Another comparison I've seen is with the Schengen countries' ETIAS visa-waiver (that will soon apply to British citizens).

Only difference is they won't generally need to complete one of these *just* so they can take their kids to school or attend a hospital appointment!

Unroll @threadreaderapp