New data shows that the number of asylum seekers removed to another country from Ireland increased nearly fourfold last year compared to 2023, reports The Mirror.
Figures from the European Commission show that 1,040 individuals were returned from Ireland to destinations outside the EU in 2024. In contrast, only 285 people were returned the previous year.
The data also indicates a significant rise in the enforcement of immigration laws by Irish authorities over the last two years, reports The Mirror.
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In previous years, 150 people were returned in 2021 and 190 in 2022 after receiving leave orders.
In 2024, the top country of origin for people returned from Ireland was Georgia with 200 cases, followed by Brazil (160), Jordan (155), South Africa (85), Nigeria (45), and Albania (40), reports The Mirror.
Out of the total returns, 135 were listed as “assisted forced returns,” while the rest were a mix of assisted and non-assisted voluntary departures.
Ireland also had the second-highest rate of issuing orders to leave among EU member states last year, reports The Mirror.
Authorities issued 3,234 leave orders to non-EU citizens in 2024 — more than triple the 1,060 issued in 2023.
A spokesperson for the Department of Justice stated that Minister Jim O’Callaghan considers it a priority to ensure Ireland’s immigration system is “robust, fair, efficient and enforced.”
They added: “The removal of persons who have been refused permission to remain is an essential requirement for the immigration system to work effectively and to ensure that the public has confidence in the application of our laws in this area.”
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