The Taoiseach is appealing for calm and for people to take a 'deep breath' amid tensions with the UK over immigrants.
Legislation is being brought to Cabinet this morning to return asylum seekers who cross the border from Northern Ireland back to the UK.
The proposals are intended to quickly get past a High Court judgement that found Britain was no longer safe for refugees because of its controversial Rwanda policy.
The Rwanda Bill would see asylum seekers "entering the UK illegally" sent to the central African nation regardless of the outcome of their application.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee talking to the media while arriving for a Cabinet meeting, 30-1-24. Image: Sasko Lazarov/© RollingNews.ieJustice Minister Helen McEntee intends that returns to the UK will recommence once the law is enacted.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Monday there wasn't a deal to be done.
Mr Sunak said the UK was "not going to accept returns from the EU via Ireland when the EU doesn’t accept returns back to France where illegal migrants are coming from."
Taoiseach Simon Harris says the legislation is underpinning what is already in place.
The Taoiseach is appealing for calm and for people to take a 'deep breath' amid tensions with the UK over immigrants.
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"There is a need for a sense of calm here and just a need for everyone to take a deep breath and just be very factual about what's happening here," he said.
"Conscious of elections, conscious of what people say - all of that.
"But at the end of the day there's an agreement in place between Britain and Ireland since 2020.
"That agreement never got an opportunity to be implemented because of COVID," he added.
Additional reporting: Jack Quann
