The Justice Minister has said ordering yesterday’s deportation flight from Dublin to Georgia was an “unpleasant duty” that had to be done.
The flight left last night at 10.30 and landed safely in Georgia this morning.
On board were 30 men, four women and five children - all of whom had had their applications for asylum rejected.
On Newstalk Breakfast, Jim O’Callaghan said he had no choice but to sign the deportation order.
“It’s not a particularly pleasant thing I have to do,” he said.
“Part of the response has to be enforced deportations; they also didn’t engage in the offer of voluntary return that were made.
“Because of that, we enforced the deportation orders and the 39 people are safely back in Georgia this morning.”
This morning, deportation orders were enforced against 39 people who have been removed from Ireland by charter flight.
This is the second operation conducted since the recommencement of charter flights for deportations earlier this year.https://t.co/rDhyOZEa5N@OCallaghanJim pic.twitter.com/wOK6aS4phU
— Department of Justice (@DeptJusticeIRL) May 1, 2025
Minister O’Callaghan added that staff from the Garda National Immigration Bureau “did an excellent job”.
“It’s a job that has to be done sensitively but it is an offence and people were apprehended yesterday and kept in custody for a while,” he said.
“Then they were put on the airplane and on the plane back to Georgia.”
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When asked whether he thought the children on the flight would have found the experience upsetting, Minister O’Callaghan said he could “understand” why it would.
“But the reason that it’s happening is because parents put their children in that position,” he said.
“They had applied for international protection, they got a hearing, there was the appeal, their applications were refused.
“There has to be consequences; if there aren’t consequences, it means there’s no difference between being granted asylum and not being granted asylum because, at the end of the day, everyone’s allowed to stay.
“They were refused international protection and it’s a tough and unpleasant duty, but it is my duty under legislation to ensure that the international protection laws are enforced.”
'There are consequences'
Minister O’Callaghan added that he hopes the deportation flight will “send out a message” to anyone tempted to stay in Ireland if their application for asylum has been rejected.
“If you apply for international protection in Ireland and you’re refused that asylum application, there are consequences,” he said.
“You can’t simply stay here if your application for international protection has been refused.”
The price cost of the one way flight to taxpayers was €103,000.
Main image: Gardaí. Picture by: Leah Farrell/© RollingNews.ie
