“I hear racist and xenophobic insults in the streets. It’s all blamed on immigrants” – The Irish Times

Five months ago, Donnah Vuma traveled from her home in Limerick to attend a citizenship ceremony in Co Kerry.

The former asylum seeker, who spent eight years through the international protection system, joined nearly 5,000 people from around the world in Killarney by becoming citizens of the state.

“It was so important to me; I remember during the ceremony it was said, “Your immigration journey is over.” Every time I think about it, it feels like a huge weight has been lifted,” she says.

Vuma is one of more than 11,400 people who have become Irish citizens so far this year, making her eligible to vote in a general elections for the first time.

Vuma, a failure social democrats candidate in the local elections in June, Vuma knows how he will vote.

“Ireland has been good to me. But there are certain areas that are lacking, and if we don’t vote for change, we will be stuck in a continuous cycle of disappointment,” she says.

Vuma is a single mother whose number one issue in the election is childcare.

“I’m a migrant with very little resources or family support,” she says. “Taking care of the children is the pillar that prevents me from accessing anything. Without proper childcare, they cannot fully participate.”

Kelli Monteiro, a Brazilian who has lived in Ireland for 11 years, says one of the reasons she applied for citizenship was to vote in general elections and referendums.

“Democracy is hard fought. So it’s important for me to have a say here, even a small one.”

Security and immigration they are both important issues for Monteiro. “I live in Dublin city center and it’s becoming a mess. I wouldn’t go anywhere near half of O’Connell Street at night. Racism has been around for years, but it’s getting stronger and that worries me,” she says.

“I hear racist and xenophobic insults in the streets. Trump was elected now, he started with “America First”. Now we hear “Ireland first”, “Ireland is full”. Everything is blamed on the immigrants.”

Monteiro is considering voting for either People Before Profit or Sinn Féin, but is still undecided.

“I see Simon Harris saying he’s going to do something new and I think, ‘You’re already in power, why haven’t you done it before?'”

Marcin Jezewski, who moved to Ireland from Poland in 2008 and became an Irish citizen last year, says he will only vote for candidates who support Ireland’s role in the European Union.

“The European Union is how we got here; that’s how I stayed here,” he says.

As Group Rehab’s chief operating officer, Jezewski would also like to see the next Government provide more support for disabled people entering the workforce.

A landlord in Longford town, he says many of his Polish friends have failed to save for a mortgage and want to see housing shortage correctly addressed.

Luz Pereira, who became an Irish citizen in 2021, says her beliefs align with the National Council of Women’s election manifesto, which includes calls for transforming women’s health, guaranteeing reproductive rights, ending violence against women and providing public care services of children.

Pereira, leader of the Women of Brazil in Ireland group, says the current childcare model “has an impact on a woman’s independence and her ability to be part of society”.

The next government must also address the additional barriers migrant women face when securing safe and affordable housing, especially those in abusive relationships, she says.

The Green Party is her first choice for now, followed by Fine Gael.

“I’m trying to get other new citizens to vote,” she says. “We have asked people to make sure they are registered. It’s important to make our voices heard.”

Sharon Mpofu, who also became an Irish citizen at the ceremony in Killarney in June, wants to see more support for families in rented accommodation.

After leaving international protection, she sent around 60 applications a week looking for accommodation and was only able to arrange one or two viewings.

“It took me six months to get a response when I applied for a HAP (State Supported Housing Assistance Payments) house. Especially people from minority communities, we never get a response.”

She will only vote for a candidate with a pro-immigration stance.

“After the riots I was afraid to go out,” she says of Dublin riots a year ago. “The community should come together and show that migrants are not here to commit crimes, they are here to help build Ireland.”