DUP MLAs have led an Assembly debate on the impact of illegal immigration in Northern Ireland, spearheaded by Upper Bann MLA Jonathan Buckley.

The discussion focused on perceived strains on public services, community cohesion, and infrastructure.

During his remarks, Jonathan Buckley stated: "I bring this debate not just as a representative, but as a voice for the many people across this country, who feel forgotten, who feel overwhelmed and unheard. The statistics are stark with close on 1 million people a year entering the UK and that does not even take into account the number arriving illegally and unvetted."

He clarified the motion's intent, asserting it is "not a motion borne out of ideology or sensationalism - it is firmly rooted in the practical realities our communities face every single day. It is about protecting our public services, preserving community cohesion, and ensuring that our infrastructure is not stretched far beyond its limits." Buckley echoed a recent remark by the Prime Minister, stating: "The prime Minister, whilst many of us will doubt his sincerity talked about ‘we risk becoming an island of strangers.’ He may not believe his own words, but let me assure the House I DO." He concluded by calling the situation a "growing and deeply concerning failure to address illegal and uncontrolled immigration – and its direct impact on Northern Ireland."

Fermanagh & South Tyrone MLA Deborah Erskine also contributed to the debate, addressing concerns about the public's perception. "The people that I am representing by speaking on this motion today are not far right extremists, they are not racist – they have concerns in our ability in Northern Ireland to deliver services and how they are impacted," she said. Ms Erskine highlighted the financial implications, citing a report from the National Audit Office. "According to the National Audit Office, the annual cost of accommodating asylum seekers in Northern Ireland has exploded to £400 million. Every pound spent on emergency accommodation is a pound not spent on cancer drugs, potholes or special needs classrooms."

Her remarks primarily focused on the proliferation of Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMOs). "In town after town, the rapid conversion of homes into HMO’s —often sub-standard, frequently unchecked, and utterly unsuited to the character of neighbourhoods," she observed.

She further explained that these HMOs are "no longer confined to student areas. They are appearing in established working-class and rural communities, driving up rents and hollowing out the very social fabric Government says it wants to protect. There is a direct line from uncontrolled illegal migration to unsustainable pressure on housing stock, and from that pressure to the proliferation of HMOs."

In response, Ms Erskine called for action from the Minister for Infrastructure. "That is why, in our view, the Minister for Infrastructure must urgently revisit the Strategic Planning Policy Statement. Overarching direction must be given to Councils to define the parameters of what is deemed to be over-proliferation – ensuring that planning controls are robust." She added that the Minister "must ensure that the references to planning controls under the 2016 HMO Act are interpreted by local authorities in a way that practically reflects rising concern about intensive forms of housing and ultimately protects public services. This will help to offset the financial incentive presented to many landlords by the Home Office asylum accommodation contract in Northern Ireland."