Inquiries are continuing after 14 people were found hiding in the back of a truck at Rosslare Port in Wexford yesterday.
The vehicle was carrying a load of fruit, and it is reported the temperature of the unit, which had travelled on a ferry from Cherbourg, was around 5 degrees.
Brian Killoran is CEO of the Immigrant Council of Ireland, he is thankful the group is in good health, but said it is an indication of how much people want to improve their lives.
"It really still exemplifies the fact of desperation that people feel when they are trying to enter a country and trying to get back on their feet and re-start their lives again.
"The whole European migration situation has kind of gone off the radar to a certain extent but this kind of situation really shows that it hasn't gone away," he said.
Caroline Reid, Communications Officer for the Irish Refugee Council said: “Until we see more proactive responses and solutions which open up safe and legal ways for people to escape persecution we will continue to see people making journeys of this nature.
"No person should find themselves in a situation where they feel that their only choice is to pay smugglers to transport them on dangerous and arduous journeys with no guarantees for their safety.”