Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan has admitted it is “not possible” to “accurately” say how many migrants leave the State once being given deportation orders, because authorities still don’t do exit checks to confirm people have left.
The comments were made in response to a recent Parliamentary Question from Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy, who asked for the number of those subjected to deportation orders whose departure from the State was confirmed”, among other things.
O’Callaghan replied that “deportations are costly and complex to enforce, and as such, “It is the preferred option to return people voluntarily, and my Department has a voluntary return programme to assist people to return prior to the issuance of a deportation order.”
He went on to say that there was no way to accurately assess how many people had voluntarily left the State after being given deportation orders.
“As there are no routine exit checks at Irish borders, it is not possible to accurately provide the number of people who are currently in Ireland subject to deportation orders,” he said.
However, he said that a “significant” number of people had left the State, which he said was known due to Garda National Immigration Bureau reviews.
“While over 300 of the people subject to deportation orders above have confirmed they have left the State independently since 2020, it is the case that a significantly larger number of individuals who were subject to Deportation Orders have left the State without notifying the relevant authorities,” he said.
“I am informed that the Garda National Immigration Bureau has reviewed a large sample of cases of persons subject to deportation orders; their inquiries suggest a very significant number of these individuals have left the State.”
According to Department of Justice figures, since 2020, a total of 739 people are confirmed to have left the State after receiving Deportation orders, either through enforcement, chartered flights, or other means.
During the same period, 6,770 Deportation Orders were issued, meaning the State cannot confirm whether a Deportation Order recipient has actually left the State in 90% of cases.
O’Callaghan went on to say that it was a “criminal offence” to fail to adhere to a Deportation order.
“A deportation order is a legal order to leave the State,” he said.
“Any person who has been ordered to leave the State and fails to do so, within the timeframe issued with the deportation order, is committing a criminal offence and can be arrested without warrant if they come into contact with An Garda Síochána.
“Such an order remains on the person’s record permanently, unless revoked – it means they may not enter Ireland again in future.”
He also said that his Department had “taken action” to improve enforcement measures, and had significantly increased the number of Deportation orders issued.
“If a person does not remove themselves from the State following the issuance of a deportation order, they will be removed, and my Department has taken action to significantly improve immigration enforcement measures and increase removals,” he said.
“The number of deportation orders signed in 2024 (2,403) increased by 180% compared to 2023 (857).”
The Minister said that such enforcement was a “central priority” for him.
“It is a central priority for me that Ireland’s immigration system is robust and rules based,” he said.
“The enforcement aspects of our laws, including deportation orders, are an essential requirement for the system to work effectively and to ensure that there is confidence in the application of our legislation in this area.”
The issue of self-deportation was one previously grappled with by O’Callaghan’s predecessor, former Justice Minister Helen McEntee.