The number of people continuing to arrive at Dublin airport without passports or with false documentation remain high despite a promised crackdown on immigration, with 3,370 arriving in 2024 according to figures released by the Department of Justice.
The data shows that almost 22,000 people have arrived at Dublin Airport between 2018-2024 without necessary documentation or with false documents.
Responding to a parliamentary question from Independent TD Carol Nolan, who asked the Minister for Justice to provide the number of individuals who have arrived in Ireland at any port of entry, including Dublin Airport, without valid travel documents for each year from 2018 to date in 2025, the Department showed that 2,293 people presented at Immigration at Dublin Airport without documentation in 2024, while another 1,077 arrived with false documents or were described as “imposters”.
This is the first time that the description of imposters has been used by the Department.
The data released to Deputy Nolan showed that 21,785 people have arrived at Dublin Airport between 2018-2024 without necessary documentation or with false documents. There was a 20% fall in the number thus arriving between 2023 and 2024.
The figures do not include migrants arriving without documentation at other airports and other ports of entry.
The Department has previously confirmed that those who presented with either “false or no documentation” were then allowed to apply for asylum in Ireland.
“We cannot afford to take the scenic route to reductions in the numbers of those arriving without documentations,” Deputy Nolan said. “We need to see vastly improved levels of reduction and we can only do that if the message goes out loud and clear, with no equivocation, no nod and wink to ‘appeals’ etc, that if you try to enter our territory for false or criminal purposes then you will not be met by the cead mile failte but by the slamming of the detention centre doors until you can be sent back from where you came”.
The Minister for Justice said that “The Border Management Unit (BMU) of my Department is responsible for frontline Immigration at Dublin Airport only. Other airports and other ports of entry are the responsibility of the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB).”
“The establishment of a person’s identity and nationality is an important feature of our immigration process. Immigration officials conduct passport checks, and run operations as required, to ensure passengers arriving in the State are properly documented in accordance with Section 11 of the Immigration Act 2004.
“Under Section 4 of the Immigration Act 2004, an Immigration Officer must determine whether a non-EEA national should be granted leave to land and gain entry to the State. In performing their duties, an Officer is required to consider all of the circumstances of the individual at the time of entry. Section 4(3) of that Act sets out the full range of grounds on which a person may be refused.
“The table below details the total number of persons who have been refused leave to land at Dublin Airport, and of that total, the numbers refused due to presenting false identity documents or no identity documents. In relation to other ports of entry, I have sought the information requested from the Garda Commissioner and I will write to the Deputy directly should the information be available.
“My Department and the GNIB are working closely with airlines on a range of measures to ensure that passengers have such documentation when boarding. This includes delivering in-person training to relevant airline ground-handling staff on immigration requirements and false travel documentation. BMU officials are also available 24/7 to assist airlines with any immigration queries.
“BMU and GNIB also have an ongoing intelligence-led programme of operations at airplanes to detect passengers who destroyed documents inflight and to identify the point of embarkation of undocumented passengers. Last year in 2024, the BMU have carried out over 7,300 doorstep operations at Dublin Airport.
“I also strengthened visa requirements to travel to Ireland, provided funding for a Garda Airport Liaison Officers network across European transport hubs and assigned additional resources to the BMU to facilitate disembarkment checks.
“BMU and GNIB also have an ongoing intelligence-led programme of operations at airplanes to detect passengers who destroyed documents inflight and to identify the point of embarkation of undocumented passengers.”