Police in Dublin have launched a criminal investigation after a 10-year-old girl was allegedly raped by an African man in his 30s at the Citywest Hotel, a facility being used as an emergency accommodation center for asylum seekers.
The alleged attack took place on Monday morning on the hotel’s grounds and has sparked renewed public anger over Ireland’s handling of rejected asylum cases and enforcement of deportation orders.
According to The Irish Times, the suspect had already had his asylum claim rejected last year and has been under a deportation order since March 2025. Despite that order, he remained in the country and was still living at the Citywest facility, which has become one of the largest accommodation centers for asylum seekers in the country since the start of the migrant influx.
The man was arrested on Monday and remains in police custody.
The victim is believed to have been under the care of Tusla, Ireland’s Child and Family Agency, which is responsible for child protection and family support. In a statement issued Monday evening, Tusla confirmed that a young girl who had been placed into the agency’s care by her family earlier this year due to significant behavioral issues was involved in a “serious incident” over the weekend.
The agency explained that the girl had been living in a fully staffed residential placement operated by a funded community partner. She absconded from staff supervision during a planned recreational trip into Dublin city center, prompting staff to report her missing to An Garda Síochána. She was later found to have visited a relative’s home but absconded again later the same day.
She later informed them that she had been involved in a serious incident. Staff were eventually able to ascertain her whereabouts based on the details she provided and alerted the authorities, who located her.
The alleged rape has provoked anger among local residents and reignited debate about the government’s handling of asylum seekers whose deportation orders are not enforced. On Monday evening, protesters gathered outside the Citywest center, chanting “Rapists out!” and demanding the closure of the facility. Many residents say they have been warning for months that the situation was unsafe.
One local mother, Anne, spoke to citizen journalist Philip Dwyer at the scene, describing how the presence of the center has affected daily life in the community and increased fears for children’s safety. “My name is Anne, and I live in the village here. I have a young child that goes to the primary school that’s three minutes away from this hotel and complex,” she said. “The guys that are here in this center are drinking alcohol and smoking drugs on the steps of the primary school. I had to call the Gardaí to remove them. This is an everyday recurrence.”
Although police have responded to complaints, Anne said the problem remains persistent. “The Gardaí came last week and moved them on, but our children were about to walk out the door of the school. They’re drinking alcohol, they’re smoking drugs in the village in the little square facing the pub. This is what we’re faced with every day. Drug paraphernalia on the streets. This is not an exaggeration. None of us want to be here, but this is our reality. And now a young girl, 10 years old, allegedly sexually assaulted in these grounds. We’ve been saying this. People have been protesting for a long time. We’ve begged our government, we’ve begged our TDs, we’ve appealed directly because we could see this was going to happen.”
Anne also expressed concern about a public gymnasium next to the facility frequented by young girls. “What could possibly go wrong? Our worst nightmares are already happening,” she said.
Locals have also pointed to evidence of drug use in nearby areas. “We found burnt tin foil and drug paraphernalia hidden in bushes,” Dwyer reported. “Anybody who thinks the people here are exaggerating — we can show you photographs.”
Despite the gravity of the allegations, Irish political leaders have so far remained largely silent. Gardaí have declined to provide further information, citing the ongoing investigation. Meanwhile, Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s most recent social media post — congratulating Japan’s new female prime minister — prompted a plethora of responses criticizing his failure to address the most viral topic across the Irish capital.
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