Business leaders are warning that racism must be rooted out of Ireland if we are to convince non-nationals to come here and fill our skills shortages.
The warning has come from the Small Firms Association.
Meanwhile, human rights groups are expressing concern that our asylum laws have gone too far and are preventing genuine cases from sheltering.
The warning comes as the number of people reaching our shores dropped by 300 in the past month.
However, Aine Ni Chonaill of the Immigration Control Platform insists that the numbers seeking asylum must be managed.
She says that everyone accepts that you can’t have an open border policy and that under the Geneva Convention, there is no such thing as controlling the borders.