Minister wants to 'secure our borders' as 39 people deported to Georgia on chartered flight

JUSTICE MINISTER JIM O’Callaghan has said stressed that “securing our borders” is a government priority as he confirmed that 39 people were deported to Georgia on a charter flight last night. 

The minister has said that the deportation is classified as an “enforced removal” because the individuals had not complied with deportation orders.

“As you know, we have to have an effective system when it comes to international protection,” he told reporters.

“If people come in and they apply for asylum and they get asylum, they’re perfectly entitled to stay. If they come in and they apply for asylum and they’re refused it, there has to be a consequence. The consequence is that they have to leave the country.

“In most instances, we try to encourage people to leave voluntarily. Where they don’t, I’m afraid we’re going to have to use the power of the state to enforce deportations. That’s what happened last night.”

He added that those deported arrived safely in Georgia this morning. 

Gardaí have confirmed that officers from the Garda National Immigration Bureau carried out the operation which saw 30 men, four women and five children deported. Each of the five children were part of family groups. 

“Stepping up enforcement and securing our borders is a central commitment of mine. Swift and fair returns of people whose applications have been refused is the foundation of any modern rules-based immigration process,” O’Callaghan said in an earlier statement. 

If people wish to move to Ireland, they must do so using the appropriate legal pathways. Removal operations send a clear message that our laws are to be respected and underscores this government’s intention to protect the integrity of our immigration system. 

The minister also thanked gardaí for their work and said that “further charter operations” are expected throughout the year.  

Last night’s deportation flight followed the first such flight in February, when 32 people were deported, again to Georgia, on a chartered flight. 

The cost of February’s flight was over €102,000, or just over €3,200 per person deported. The overall cost of that operation was even more, with O’Callaghan subsequently telling the Dail that it would likely be in the region of €200,000. 

The minister said that all the people on last night’s flight were Georgian nationals and that medical staff, an interpreter and a human rights observer were also on board the flight which landed in Tbilisi this morning. 

Focusing on the nationality of those deported, the minister said: “It is also important to note that many members of the Georgian community are legally in the State. They contribute to the economy and the cultural and social fabric of our society.”

Garda vehicles as part of the operation.

Following the first deportation flight in February under a new government contract for charter flights, gardaí had released a video of the operation and it was widely publicised by the minister and the government. Photographs of this latest operation were released by gardaí this morning. 

In February, migrant rights group Doras had said the messaging surrounding deportation flights was a “distraction” from the need for law reform. 

Doras said that it was concerned both by the messaging and “the manner in which the deportations are being publicised by the government.”

At a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the Justice Minister received approval for legislation to overhaul how Ireland responds to people seeking asylum in the State.

The government is dubbing it “the most significant reform of Irish asylum laws in the history of the State.”

With reporting by Muiris O’Cearbhaill