NI: Human rights group submits complaint against Translink over cross-border passport checks
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A Belfast-based human rights organisation has submitted a complaint against Translink for breaching its equality requirements by failing to consider the impact of facilitating passport checks on its cross-border services.
The Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) has submitted a breach of equality scheme complaint against the publicly-owned company on behalf of 17 directly affected passengers.
The human rights organisation believes that passport checks by officials from the Garda National Immigration Bureau and the UK Home Office are frequently conducted on the basis of racial profiling and are contrary to both UK and Irish law.
CAJ said Translink had confirmed in correspondence that it has not undertaken an Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) in relation to its policy of facilitating such passport checks on their buses.
Úna Boyd, CAJ’s immigration project co-ordinator, said: “Initially when we enquired about this policy, Translink told us they were ‘obliged’ to facilitate the boarding of their buses for such passport checks. However, when we asked Translink what these legal obligations were, they were unable to answer.
“It appears they now know there is no proper legal basis for such checks, or are still to check, long after the policy has been adopted.”
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