Asylum seekers in central Dublin have been reported to have been assaulted and racially abused.

According to media reports the Irish government has moved hundreds of asylum seekers from a makeshift campsite outside the International Protection Office on Mount Street to two tented accommodation sites.

The chief executive of the Irish Refugee Council, Nick Henderson, praised the move as a “sensible move” and praised the community’s efforts to support asylum seekers.

There have been as many as 20 arson attacks on accommodation due to house asylum seekers.

The Irish government’s cabinet sub-committee on immigration will discuss the issues arising from Justice Minister Helen McEntee’s comments that 80-91% of new arrivals seeking asylum in the state have crossed the border with Northern Ireland.

The Irish government has been focusing on a “firm but fair” immigration system, but has recently ramped up mention of deportation and returns amid clashes between Gardaí and anti-immigrant protests.