Fr Seamus Enright, who spent more than 21 years as a Redemptorist cleric in Limerick, says: “I don't understand it really” when asked about the increase.
And, he said, the government has not done well in terms of its communication around the issue.
His comments come amid a number of alleged arson attacks across the country on facilities which are set to house asylum seekers.
“It’s quite worrying really. We are a nation of emigrants ourselves. People say migrants and think asylum seekers and refugees. But without migrants, our health system would collapse,” Fr Enright said.
The priest said he fears people are being “manipulated”.
“Maybe people who live in communities where the resources are scarce are frightened if they have to share those scarce resources with other people, they will be even more scarce then they are already,” he told the Leader.
Fr Enright said he recalled watching the news covering the protests in Roscrea, where one demonstrator declared the town and its schools are full.
“About two days later, the Irish Independent had an article saying they had spoken to almost all the schools there and they are not full,” he said.
“Untruths, half truths and misinformation filters its way into the conversation and really needs to be challenged. I don’t think government has done well in terms of communicating what is going on,” he added.
Elsewhere, Fr Enright believes if the Redemptorist order is to survive into the future, its clergy must become more representative of the population of Limerick now.
“A group of ageing white, middle-class men no longer does that,” he remarked.
“We need a Ukrainian Redemptorist which we have now, a Brazilian Redemptorist, an Indian Redemptorist, we need a Polish Redemptorist. We missed an opportunity before my time when Congolese migrants came to Limerick and asked if we could say Mass in French. The priest at the time said it’d be better if they integrate. Limerick is so cosmopolitan and who appears at the altar should reflect that, and we are only now doing that,” he concluded.