Migrants in Britain are being transported to Ireland by 'human traffickers' under false pretenses of work, Irish leaders have been warned.
An agency in London is said to be telling dozens of migrants – possibly hundreds – that it can guarantee them full employment rights in Ireland.
People are then charged £1,500 and have their passports confiscated, before being told they will have to pay a further £1,000 if they go to work.
But when they arrive, the alleged company does not exist and the migrants have been sent to the International Protection Office, where they are forced to apply for asylum.
Independent TD Michael McNamara said he has been in contact with a man from the Indian subcontinent who entered Britain on a visa approved by the government there, allowing him to work 10 hours a week.
Mr McNamara said: “They took £1,500 from him and kept his passport so he would pay another £1,000 when he went to work.
“They arranged his journey to Liverpool and from there a ferry to Belfast, from where he traveled to Dublin.”
Mr McNamara said the man was given the postcode and postal address of his new employer, but added: “When he turned up there it was the International Protection Office (IPO) in Dublin.
“He clearly didn't know he was being sent to the IPO.”
Speaking to Prime Minister Simon Harris, Mr McNamara told the Dail the man was one of five people traveling in a similar manner organized by the same officers.
“He knows another 30 people who were sent to Ireland in the same way by the agency.”
Mr McNamara said the man is now trying to leave the asylum system in Ireland and return to Britain but he does not have his passport.
“It is very clear that vulnerable people in precarious positions are being horribly exploited by bad actors.
“But it is equally clear that our state is being exploited by these bad actors.
“And while the Punch and Judy show that your government is working with the British authorities, all is well and good, but I want to know, Taoiseach, what you can do and hope that there is international cooperation to resolve this?”
Mr McNamara said the existence of the agency involved in this case suggests there are many more active.
In a subsequent session in the Dail, the Labor Party leader established the migrant camp along Dublin's Grand Canal, which has grown to more than 100 tents.
The camp was created shortly after more than 200 asylum seekers were released from a similar makeshift camp at the nearby IPO on Mount Street.
Ivana Bacik told the Prime Minister: “It is inhumane, it is unsustainable and your government has failed to provide a coherent plan that is needed in the longer term to provide housing.”
During a debate on the week's agenda, she added that a notice had appeared on Mount Street advising those staying in International Protection Accommodation Service tented accommodation that they could benefit from a higher daily expense allowance if they leave voluntarily.
“It's clearly a desperate attempt to help people move on, without any reality in providing longer-term housing.”
Mr Harris said the Mount Street operation had a “very positive impact” and averted a “near public health emergency”.
He said: 'I continue to believe this was the right action.
'Four weeks ago I became Prime Minister and took charge of this situation.
“There was, in my view, a tacit acceptance by many government agencies that the situation on Mount Street could continue as normal and that this was simply the new normal. That was not right.”
He added: “We will tackle the Grand Canal.
“Action will be taken.”
The Daily Express has revealed that smuggling gangs are using 'facilitators' to transport people across the land border from Northern Ireland into the Republic of Ireland.
Asylum seekers camped in appalling conditions in Dublin claimed British criminals charged up to £3,600 for the crossing from Belfast.
The 500km land border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland is the most popular route, with gangs operating virtually unguarded roads, intelligence shows.
Separate sources have also told this newspaper that the Garda has tightened checks on buses crossing the border.
And they warned that ferry services from ports such as Liverpool and Stranraer in Scotland provide another route to escape Rwanda's deportation plan.
Facilitators often act as crucial conduits between the criminals and those hoping to cross the English Channel.
The National Crime Agency confirmed: “The abuse of legitimate routes such as the Common Travel Area (CTA) enabled by organized crime continues to pose a significant threat to the UK border and immigration system.
“It is likely that some of the irregular migrants claiming asylum in Ireland entered via the land border with Northern Ireland on the instructions of facilitators acting on behalf of the OCGs.
“The NCA is leading the law enforcement response to organized crime involved in human trafficking and smuggling into Britain. We are using all the powers at our disposal to disrupt OCGs.
“We have seen before how OCGs develop their tactics in response to law enforcement and government actions. The role of the NCA is to continue to focus on the organized crime element involved and do everything we can to disrupt and dismantle those criminal networks.”