Justice Minister Helen McEntee has announced a significant increase in immigration decisions in Ireland. “I am committed to ensuring the State’s immigration processes are robust, effective, and fair,” she stated.
Minister McEntee emphasized the necessity of expanding the capacity to remove individuals whose applications for International Protection have been refused. “With a major increase in the number of decisions issued on International Protection cases, it is now time to increase our capacity to remove people from the State whose applications have been refused and who do not have permission to remain in the State,” she said.
To address this, McEntee revealed plans to introduce charter deportation flights as an “additional operational and enforcement resource for An Garda Síochána.” She noted, “A charter service will increase our options in this regard.”
The Minister aims to have these charter flights operational by the end of the year, contingent upon the successful completion of the tender process and other relevant arrangements. A request for tender for these deportation flights has been published on the e-Tenders website, with a closing date of July 17th.
Enterprise Minister Simon Coveney has previously underscored the need for decisive action if failed asylum seekers refuse to leave the country.
This move comes in the wake of Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary’s announcement of cooperation with the Department of Justice to prevent undocumented passengers from entering Ireland. O’Leary emphasized the importance of robust measures to differentiate between genuine refugees and those travelling from other EU countries without proper documentation.
