Doras say focus on deportations is a ‘distraction’ from the need for law reform

CHARITY DORAS HAS warned that it has “concerns” about the messaging surrounding deportations being publicised by the government, and that it is an attempt to distract from “the need for a fair and accessible international protection system”.

Doras is a non-governmental organisation “working to promote and protect the rights of people from a migrant background in Ireland”. The charity is based in Limerick.

On Thursday night, 32 people were deported from Ireland to Georgia on a flight chartered by the Department of Justice. The operation involved the deportation of 28 men, three women, and a child who was on the flight with their parents.

The Department said that those aboard the flight had all received Deportation Orders from the State. The cost of the flight was €102,476, according to Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan.

The flight was the first operation conducted under a contract signed by the State last November for the provision of charter aircraft for deportations. O’Callaghan, speaking the next morning, said that the flight was a “significant start” in enforcing deportation orders and “there will be further flights scheduled in the future”.

In a statement yesterday, Doras said that it is concerned both by the messaging and “the manner in which the deportations are being publicised by the government.

“It causes distress for people who have come through the international protection system or are undocumented,” it said.

It warned that the fear of deportations has a “chilling effect” within the migrant community, and that individuals with “irregular immigration status” may withdraw from social and public life due to this. It said that this can lead to impacts on their health. 

“It also fosters a reluctance to report crimes, enrol children in school, or engage with public services, further marginalising these groups.” It added that such marginalisation may leave people more vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation.

“Putting a focus on deportations is a distraction from the need for a fair and accessible international protection system,” the charity said.

O’Callaghan’s assuming of the role of Minister for Justice has seen him speak out strongly on immigration, saying recently in an interview with RTÉ News that “too many people” were seeking international protection in Ireland that were not entitled to it. 

He said that Ireland needed to have a system in place where if someone applying for international protection is granted it “you stay, you’re welcome”, but if not, “you leave, you’re gone”. 

This afternoon on Saturday with Colm Ó Mongáin on RTÉ Radio One, People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger accused the government of “virtue signalling” in its utilisation of deportation.

She said that the government is pandering to the right by doing so. While Coppinger said that deportations are necessary in extreme cases, reforms should be considered to the issue as a whole.

Last year, 2,403 deportation orders were signed by the Department of Justice, but figures from the Department that were published last week revealed that 134 people were deported last year – about 5% of the number of orders signed.