This Country Subtly Expels Ukrainian Refugees, Offering Money as Incentive
The Irish government plans to halt the provision of accommodation for Ukrainian refugees within the next year. Quoting a statement from Ireland’s Minister of State for Migration, Colm Brophy, on Monday (20/04/2026), the government will even offer cash payments as an incentive for those migrants to agree to repatriation.
Since the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022, Brophy noted that around 125,000 Ukrainians have received temporary protection in Ireland. From July 2022 to March 2026, Dublin reportedly spent more than US$516 million (approximately Rp8.7 trillion) just to provide housing for half of that number of refugees.
In addition to domestic spending, Dublin has also channelled nearly US$470 million (approximately Rp7.9 trillion) in political, humanitarian, economic, and non-lethal military aid to Kyiv. The scale of this budgetary burden has triggered serious internal government discussions to promptly end the state’s accommodation facilities within the next 12 months.
“I do not see why we as taxpayers should continue to pay millions upon millions of dollars… because no other European Union country is providing such a thing. The timeline is crucial here,” Brophy stated in his interview with The Times.
Brophy added that although the termination of this programme has not yet been finalised at the government level, the step is a top priority. As an additional strategy, the Irish government is considering providing substantial financial incentives to encourage Ukrainians to return home voluntarily.
“The Irish government is also considering offering generous financial incentives to encourage Ukrainians to return home,” Brophy explained regarding the policy options being developed.
Ireland’s move reflects a trend in various European Union countries that are beginning to limit social programmes for Ukrainian migrants. Based on Eurostat data, around 4.35 million Ukrainians are registered for temporary protection across the European Union, with countries such as Poland, Germany, Denmark, Czechia, and Hungary starting to cut social benefits.
Moreover, pressure on refugees is increasing in other parts of Europe. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced last week that Berlin and Kyiv will coordinate efforts to return Ukrainian men of military age residing in Germany to their homeland.