On the surface, the Government appears to be living up to its commitment to expel anyone who arrived in the country as an asylum seeker but no longer possesses the legal status to stay. Thus far, till the midway of July, about 1,067 expulsion edicts have been dispensed, reflecting an increase from last year’s 948 orders and 270 from the year prior. If the present pace holds, a historic high in terms of issued deportation orders might be witnessed this year, possibly exceeding 2,000.
Nevertheless, from the total deportation orders issued throughout the current year, only 65 have been physically enforced by the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB), the unit tasked with investigating and ensuring individuals have departed from the country. Over 300 individuals willfully left the country, but a discrepancy seems to exist when tallying up the actual departures of failed asylum seekers. As there are no standard exit controls at Irish boundaries to validate the departure of every person, it is impractical to accurately quantify the number of people who left without confirmation from the Department of Justice.
Despite minsters in recent months reinforcing the significance of implementing orders, the fact remains that deportations are intricate and costly, involving detection work, custodial detainments, challenges in acquiring travel documents, and travel expenses. Hence, there’s a massive emphasis on the voluntary return scheme. Those who qualify for this are supported to reintegrate back in their home country, bypassing the need for a deportation order. In 2023, 213 individuals opted for a voluntary return, more than doubling the prior year’s figure of 91. This number was already surpassed by July 2024, with slightly over 300 individuals departing the country via this programme.
The past six months have also seen a dramatic shift in government policy. A further seven nations were added to the ‘safe country’ list, with Algeria and Botswana being included earlier this year, leading to a reduction of over 50 per cent in application influx from these countries.
Additional resources have been designated at Dublin Airport for conducting abrupt checks on flights, more commonly associated with an increased chance of unlawful immigration. Details made available indicate that over 3,700 of these checks were performed during the first six months of 2024.
Under scrutiny from the next imminent election, the Government needs to address a crucial question: Is the existing expulsion policy of the State fair and performing well? Moreover, just how many individuals have indeed upheld the terms of their deportation order?