An Garda Síochána have confirmed that the number of people attempting to enter the State illegally via the sea border has risen to 435 from the year 2020.
The information was provided to Independent Offaly TD Carol Nolan following a parliamentary question to Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan.
Deputy Nolan asked the minister to provide an update on the data she had previously obtained from the Garda National Immigration Bureau in 2022, figures that revealed that 279 illegal immigrants had been discovered in transport vehicles at Irish harbours during the period 2018-2021.
On this occasion, gardaí advised that the number of individuals categorised as “clandestine”, which encompasses individuals that stowed away in an attempt to enter the State illegally via the sea border, has risen to 435 since 2020.
In his response to Ms Nolan, Minister O’Callaghan said that putting in place effective border security “is a priority for me, and the Programme for Government commits to developing a border security strategy to deliver stronger border security”.
Commenting on the information, Deputy Nolan said that “we now know that there has been no let-up in the number of those seeking illegal entry to our state via our ports and our seas”.
“This is profoundly alarming because, let us be quite frank, there are easier ways to enter this state with no hindrance of any kind.”
“We need to know who these people are; what their intentions are and if they represent a security threat to communities and indeed the state itself,” she said, adding, “It is also deeply distressing for hauliers or transport operators who find these people illegally smuggled on their vehicles”.
“I will be following this matter up with Minister O’Callaghan and the GNIB as a matter of urgency,” Deputy Nolan concluded.