NEW YORK — Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin pushed back on the notion that Ireland has been "overrun" by immigrants as nearly one in four residents is now foreign-born, arguing that the country's dramatic demographic change has been driven largely by legal migration tied to its economic success story.Martin, in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, acknowledged failures in Ireland's asylum system after a record surge in applications, saying it "was too slow" in recent years.He also addressed moves to tighten citizenship rules and opened the door to publishing crime statistics by nationality amid a heated debate over immigration and crime.The issue has become a political flashpoint across Europe and the U.S.and comes weeks after President Donald Trump warned about Europe's approach while appearing alongside Martin in Dublin."That immigration, what you're doing to yourselves, you're just killing yourselves," Trump said.TRUMP SAYS HE WOULD 'LOVE' TO SEE IRELAND UNIFIED AS ONE NATIONIrish Prime Minister Micheál Martin pushed back on claims that Ireland has been "overrun" by immigrants as the country grapples with rapid demographic change and an increasingly heated immigration debate.
(REUTERS/Damien Eagers; Sean Gallup/Getty Images)"Ireland is not overrun in any shape or form," Martin told Fox News Digital."But we are conscious that it is an issue that has to be addressed robustly, firmly, fairly as well in terms of those seeking asylum.""All over Europe it's tightening up because of the pressures and migration has created significant political pressures across Europe," he added."Obviously, illegal migration is the more potent issue.
And our system was too slow in processing those seeking asylum.That has changed.
We've accelerated the application and the consideration of applications, and we've also now accelerated the appeals process."Martin said his government is developing a new migration strategy that includes proposals to increase residency requir...