Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1583.To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of deportations every year since 2020, in tabular form. [32922/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

A deportation order is a legal order to leave the State. Any person who has been ordered to leave the State and fails to do so 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 – it means they cannot legally enter Ireland again in future, and it may also have an adverse impact on their ability to travel to other jurisdictions.

The Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) carries out inquiries to confirm that people have removed themselves from the State, and works closely with my Department to enforce deportations where this is not the case.

In 2023, the GNIB removed 52 individuals subject to Deportation Orders from the State, which is a 100% increase compared to 2022. The level of enforcement continues to increase this year and the GNIB has removed 65 individuals subject to Deportations Orders as of 17 July 2024.

Enforced deportation operations are complex and costly. They often involve detailed detection work, detentions in custody, complications with obtaining travel documents, and of course, the cost of flights and related matters. Alternatives to forced removals are therefore an important component in our immigration arrangements.

In addition to the enforced deportations and those that are otherwise confirmed to have left, it is known that a much larger number of people have complied with the order to leave and have left the State without informing my Department. However, as there are no routine exit checks at Irish borders to verify if every person has left the State, it is not possible to accurately quantify this number.

My Department provides assistance through a voluntary return programme to eligible individuals who opt for this process and who then benefit from assistance to reintegrate back into their home country. Where this type of return is effected, a deportation order is not required. In 2023, 213 individuals availed of a voluntary return which is over double the 2022 figure of 91. This figure has now been surpassed as of July 2024, with over 300 individuals departing the State under my Department’s voluntary return programme.

I am committed to ensuring Ireland immigration processes are robust, effective, and fair. The capacity of deportation and return processes are essential elements of any immigration system.

My Department is working closely with the Office of Government Procurement in respect of identifying a commercial partner for the supply of charter flight services for Deportation purposes. The intention is for these services to be available later in the year and will operate alongside the current use of commercial flights for removals.

Additionally, my Department and An Garda Síochána continue to engage intensively on the transfer of certain immigration functions to my Department. This will free-up up to 100 Gardaí for other immigration enforcement work, including deportations.

Earlier this month, the registration of immigration residence permissions for counties Cork and Limerick transferred from An Garda Síochána to my Department. With this transfer, approximately 80% of all national registrations have transferred to my Department. My Department will assume responsibility for registrations nationwide with the transfer expected to be completed within the next 12 months.

The EU Migration Pact will make the returns / deportation system more efficient to operate (e.g. we will send a take back notification to another EU member state, instead of a take back request).

The below table sets out the number of Deportation Orders issued; the number of Deportation Orders enforced by GNIB; and the number of other Departures from the State overseen by my Department.

1. Person escorted from the state by the Garda National Immigration Bureau.
2. Information available confirming that the individual has left the state following receipt of a DO.
3. Persons who availed of the voluntary return programme without getting a deportation order.
4. Transfer to another EU State to have their application for International Protection examined.
5. EU Citizen removed from the State under the Free Movement Regulations (generally persons with criminal convictions).