Justice Minister Helen McEntee has indicated that she expects thousands of asylum seekers to enter Ireland without valid travel documents this year.
In response to a Parliamentary Question by Independent TD Carol Nolan this week, McEntee said “The numbers [of asylum seekers] arriving without the correct documentation for 2024 are on-course to approximately half of what they were in 2022.”
Notable, in 2022, 4,968 persons were classed as ‘Undocumented Arrivals’ while 832 were described as ‘False Documents/Imposters’, giving a total of 5,800 people arriving in that year with false or no identification papers.
Half of this number would mean that a total of 2,900 asylum seekers without proper documentation are “on-course” to enter Ireland this year.
The news comes as McEntee today announces an increase in fines to carriers, such as airlines and ferries, who fail to ensure that passengers have appropriate travel documents when disembarking.
The Courts, Civil Law, Criminal Law and Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024 will increase the fines on carriers to a maximum of €5,000 from the previous maximum of €3,000. McEntee has today signed two orders to give effect to these increased fines which will apply to carriers from 12 August 2024.
“Carriers such as airlines and ferry companies play an essential role in protecting and upholding our borders, and they are obligated to ensure their passengers have the necessary valid passports, ID cards and visas to travel to Ireland,” McEntee said about the move.
“My Department is working closely with them to support them in these obligations, including through the provision of training. However, where the rules are not followed, increased fines will now apply.
“Increasing carrier liability fines brings us into line with our counterparts across the EU and are necessary to ensure that measures introduced 21 years ago retain their effectiveness.
“This is one of a number of steps which I am taking to deliver a fair, but firm immigration system. The running of doorstop operations at Dublin airport, the training of airline staff, and the posting of Gardaí to key European transport hubs, have all worked to significantly reduce the numbers presenting without appropriate documentation.
“Alongside increasing the level of penalties, I will provide additional supports to carriers to help them meet their obligations. This continued co-operation is key to upholding the integrity of our immigration system, ensuring protection for people who need it, and allowing us to quickly return those who do not qualify to be here, to their country of origin.”
Earlier this year, Minister McEntee initiated a review of Ireland’s carrier liability standards, which recommended an increase in penalties for carriers who do not take “sufficient action” to ensure passengers travelling to Ireland have appropriate travel documentation upon embarkment.
Notably, carriers are held liable in section 2(1) of the Immigration Act 2003, which places obligations on carriers to ensure that passengers travelling to the State are in possession of a valid travel document that establishes the person’s identity and nationality, and that they have the appropriate visa if required.
A carrier that breaches this rule is deemed guilty of an offence, and each individual passenger constitutes a separate offence.
Passengers are deemed to have broken the rules if they enter the State:
– Without the required Irish visa
– Without a passport or equivalent document
– With a false passport or equivalent document
– Is an imposter using a genuine document
Ireland’s issued fines for carriers over the past 5 years are as follows:
