The Dáil has heard that illegal checkpoints were set up by protesters who gathered in Co Leitrim at the weekend to protest against migrants.
Independent TD Marian Harkin said that "a potential public order situation" in Dromahair happened on Friday night when a crowd gathered to meet buses of migrants that were rumoured to have been on the way.
"A rumour circulated that buses carrying migrants were about to arrive in the village. Crowds gathered, and I believe some outsiders arrived and some illegal checkpoints were set up," she said.
Concerned residents called the gardaí, "and 90 minutes later, two gardaí, who I believe were covering most, if all, of north Leitrim, arrived as soon as they could".
When the buses did not arrive "the situation dissipated", Ms Harkin said, but she asked "how did this situation develop?"
"A few weeks back, I met with concerned residents in Dromohair when the Department wrote informing them that 155 IP [international protection] applicants would arrive in their village," she said.
"I contacted the department asking for support for a village that has no community centre, whose national school has an emergency application in for two additional classrooms, where they are fundraising for decent surface for their pitch, and where their medical centre is already chock-a-block full."
But Ms Harkin said that she "got no response. Nothing".
A response finally came after the disturbances in Dromahair on Friday night, which she said "is putting out fires" and is "not proactive".
The Taoiseach said that he had been briefed on events in Dromahair and a community engagement team has been set up.
People Before Profit TD Mick Barry said that those who mounted the roadblocks stopped people and "asked what their business is in the town" and also "asked for passport identification".
"Do these people mounting this blockade have the active support of Government councillors in the town?" he asked.
"Those sorts of actions do not have any place in our society," Minister for Integration Roderic O'Gorman responded.
"No community, no individual has a veto about who lives in their town, who lives beside them. And that's why we have a community engagement group which is engaged in Dromahair," he said.
