Nearly 200 asylum seekers placed in State accommodation for children found out to be adults

Nearly 200 adult asylum seekers were placed in State accommodation across Ireland that was provided for children over the past three years.

Reported in the Irish Independent, it's understood Tusla had placed the adults in the children's accommodation before realising they were over 18. There have been 86 of those cases to date this year.

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The number of asylum seekers who applied for international protection as minors but were deemed 'ineligible' because of their ages has more than doubled since 2023.

This information has come to light after it emerged the male who was charged with the murder of a 17-year-old Ukrainian boy at a Tusla care facility last month is now known to be an adult, according to the Irish Independent.

Speaking on Newstalk on Thursday morning, Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín said this was completely unacceptable.

"This is absolutely shocking, and again, we believe that Tusla and the immigration services are not doing their job properly to actually fully check the age of individuals," he said.

TD Matt Carthy, Sinn Féin's justice and migration spokesman, said children in state care need to be protected.

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"There naturally needs to be protection for everybody who claims to be a minor, but we also need to protect the children who are in state care who are minors," he said. "There needs to be a robust system to ensure children are protected in both instances."

The TD also said that the Government's decision to sign up to the EU Migration Pact has put "huge pressure" on different providers, including Tusla and the International Protection Office (IPO)