Current Situation
In Belfast, 98% of the residents are of white ethnic origin. The largest minority ethnic groups within Belfast are the Chinese community (with 1,318 residents) and the mixed community (with 729 residents).
The minority communities in Northern Ireland are still very small, despite the rapid growth in recent years. As yet, there are no distinct minority ethnic residential areas. Rather, the Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) and migrant populations are scattered throughout the region. There is not a large second and third generation BME population that is either marginalised or struggling to create a distinctive or hybrid identity.
There have recently been a number of high-profile cases involving the deportation of asylum seekers from Northern Ireland. Back in 2007 First Minister Ian Paisley involved himself personally in the case of a family about to be deported back to the Democratic Republic of Congo. That same year a report claimed asylum seekers were forced to spend nights in poorly equipped Belfast police jail cells before being shipped to Scotland's Dungavel centre for processing.
In 2003 the BBC ran a story about an Albanian refugee who was forced to spend 10 months in prison in Northern Ireland, and criticised the government over their handling of refugees and asylum seekers in Northern Ireland.
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Last Updated: 14/12/09
