THE Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan has confirmed that 32 people have been deported to Georgia on a chartered flight from Dublin to Tbilisi last night.
The people had previously been served with deportation orders and were in the State unlawfully.
It was the first operation conducted under a contract signed by the State last November for the provision of charter aircraft for these purposes.
Further operations will be conducted as the year progresses.
Gardai said that the operation resulted in the removal of 32 people, 28 of whom were men, three women and one child.
The child removed is part of a family group: a father, a mother, and a child.
Speaking on RTÉ‘s Morning Ireland, Mr O’Callaghan described the operation as a key priority in his department towards a more “effective immigration system” in Ireland.
He said: “I think it’s very important that the message goes out that if you’re in Ireland unlawfully you have to leave Ireland and if you don’t do it voluntarily that that will be enforced.
‘EFFECTIVE IMMIGRATION SYSTEM’
“I have no desire. I don’t derive any enjoyment from this. But it is part of my function as Minister for Justice as we have an effective immigration system.”
The people concerned were Georgian nationals and the flight left Dublin Airport on Thursday night and landed “safely” in Tbilisi, Georgia this morning.
The returnees were accompanied on the flight by Garda personnel, medical staff, an interpreter and a human rights observer.
Georgia was among the top five countries seeking asylum in Ireland, but after a recent review, it was designated a safe country.
The chartered flight was an A320, costing the State €102,476.
Mr O’Callaghan added: “A deportation order is a very serious document for anyone to receive. If you remain in the country after you’ve been served with the deportation order, you are committing an offence. The gardai are entitled to arrest people who are in the country and are subject to a deportation order.
“The purpose of this is not just ensuring that our immigration system operates lawfully, but as you’ll be aware, there are a lot of pressures on accommodation.
‘DON’T COME TO IRELAND’
“I think we need to ensure that as we try to reduce those pressures by informing people who are from countries that are generally safe, that if they seek asylum in Ireland, the likelihood is that you’ll be refused to asylum if you seek it from Georgia.
“Last year 18,500 people applied for asylum in Ireland. It’s important that we get control of the numbers. The message that needs to go edge is if you’re seeking international protection, if you’re seeking asylum and you’re not entitled to asylum, don’t come to Ireland.”
Mr O’Callaghan also said the number of deportation orders was up by over 200 per cent this year.
As of February 16, 232 people have left the State under various mechanisms, including enforced deportations.
Speaking about yesterday’s operation Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said: “Yesterday, the Garda National Immigration Bureau of An Garda Síochána, in a planned operation, carried out the removal of 32 persons from Ireland to Georgia.
‘LARGEST REMOVAL OPERATION’
“This was the largest removal operation carried out by GNIB in over 6 years. An Garda Síochána continues to play its role in enforcing immigration legislation and maintaining the security and integrity of our borders.
“I want to express my thanks to all the members of An Garda Síochána involved in the planning and implementation of this significant operation, particularly those involved in tracking down and finding these individuals.”
The department said that charter flights provide an alternative to commercial flights and can be more appropriate in circumstances when a group of individuals are being removed to the same destination.
Enforced removals are carried out as a measure of “last resort” when the person concerned has not removed themselves from the State or availed of assisted voluntary return measures.
Minister of State for Migration Colm Brophy TD added: “Chartered deportation flights will now form an important part of removing people who do not have a right to remain in our country.
“I welcome this operation and thank the Gardai and all the staff involved in its success.
“I look forward to now seeing chartered flights in conjunction with voluntary deportations, ensuring that we will have a firm and effective system in place to deal with deportations going forward.”
