Member's statement: Illegal Immigration
Member's statement by Mr Jonathan Buckley on .
- MLA
- Mr Jonathan Buckley
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 30 June 2026
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Illegal Immigration
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5652737
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I highlight yet another example of a political party claiming to represent the views of people across the island of Ireland yet taking a position that is fundamentally out of step with the concerns being expressed by a vast number of people across Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and, indeed, the rest of the United Kingdom, and that is on the issue of uncontrolled and illegal immigration. Sinn Féin's latest position follows a pattern that Members will be well aware of.
Last year, Sinn Féin, alongside the open-border brigade of the Alliance Party and the SDLP, voted against my motion in the Assembly that called for action to address concerns about illegal and uncontrolled immigration. At a time when people were looking for a balanced and sensible discussion about the challenges associated with illegal immigration, those concerns were not acknowledged by those parties; rather, they were dismissed, and the people who expressed them were smeared and sneered at. We now see a similar approach when it comes to the European Union. Sinn Féin's representatives in the European Parliament voted against proposals aimed at strengthening the management of illegal immigration and facilitating the return of failed asylum applicants — those who entered countries illegally — to designated return hubs outside the European Union. Sinn Féin described the measures as "racist" and "xenophobic", despite the legislation's receiving the support of 418 Members of the European Parliament. The same party took the same position when the UK Government attempted to address the issue in part with the returns hub in Rwanda. The public are increasingly looking for a serious conversation about illegal and uncontrolled immigration. If that debate can happen in the European Parliament, the reasonable question to ask is this: why not in Belfast? People want an immigration system that is controlled, credible and properly enforced whilst ensuring that the genuine, heartfelt, lived experience and concerns of local citizens are at the heart of the debate. That is not an unreasonable position to take. It is one that is shared by many hard-working people of all political opinions and none, right across this country and beyond. On illegal immigration, Sinn Féin, once again, is taking a different approach. It is out of touch on an issue that is clearly out of control.
381 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.38 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.71).
- Subject area: Immigration, asylum, race, ethnicity and Travellers.
- The overall probability was low and the text did not adopt any identity-based framing.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.27 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.15 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.50 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.17 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.42 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.38 | Between thresholds |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.71 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.01 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.02 |
| Adopts it | 0.26 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Immigration, asylum, race, ethnicity and Travellers | 1.00 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 16:08 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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