The Government does not know whether 2,589 undocumented migrants who were instructed to leave Ireland have actually departed the State.
Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan issued a record 4,700 deportation orders to undocumented migrants and criminals last year, reports The Mirror.
However, he can only verify that fewer than half of those ordered to leave — 2,111 people — have exited the country. Most of these individuals were international protection applicants.
Of that total, 1,616 left voluntarily, while 185 were forcibly deported with gardaí escorting them to their countries of origin on commercial flights, and 182 were removed via charter flights, reports The Mirror.
The Department of Justice also received confirmation that 61 people departed separately. However, it cannot confirm whether the remaining 2,589 individuals have left the country or not.
Mr O’Callaghan said: ”Deportation are costly and complex to enforce. 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, reports The Mirror.
“If a person does not remove the delve from the State following the issuance of a Deportation Order, they will be removed, reports The Mirror.
“The enforcement of deportation orders is an operational matter for the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) and my Department works closely with the GNIB, reports The Mirror.
“If a person issued with a deportation order does not leave the State independently then they are required to present to the GNIB in accordance with the conditions of the deportation order,” reports The Mirror.
The minister acknowledged that because there are no routine exit checks at Irish borders, it is not possible to accurately state how many people currently remain in Ireland while subject to deportation orders.
He added: ”Since 2020 over 300 of the people subject to deportation orders have confirmed that they have left the State independently, reports The Mirror.
“It should be noted that many will have left the State without informing the authorities, reports The Mirror.
“I am informed that the GNIB have reviewed a large sample of cases of people subject to deportation orders; their inquiries suggest a very significant number of these individuals have left the state,” reports The Mirror.
The 4,700 deportation orders issued for 2025 represent an increase of 96 per cent compared to the 2,403 orders issued in 2024.
Of those ordered to leave, 911 were from Georgia, 542 from Algeria, 472 from Brazil, 385 from Nigeria, 326 from Pakistan, 197 from South Africa, 192 from Albania, 170 from India, 164 from Afghanistan, 154 from Egypt and 1,187 from other countries, reports The Mirror.
Minister O’Callaghan was responding to a series of parliamentary questions on the matter submitted by Independent Laois-Offaly TD Carol Nolan.
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