Deportations are a “horrible thing” but are necessary for Ireland’s immigration system to remain “credible,” an MEP has insisted.

Almost 1,100 asylum seekers have received deportation orders in the first half of 2024, according to figures obtained by The Irish Times – some 16% more than in the whole of 2023.

Meanwhile, as of July, 65 people had been forcibly removed from the State this year – 13 more than in all of last year.

The paper reports that plans to charter planes to forcibly remove people handed deportation orders are now at “an advanced stage”.

On The Pat Kenny Show, Ireland South MEP Michael McNamara acknowledged the significant increase compared to 2023.

“When I asked a parliamentary question as a TD, it was 857 deportation orders issued in 2023, and only 52 of those were effected,” he said.

“The [Justice] Minister, partly because of COVID, but also for other reasons best known to herself, stopped enforcing deportation orders—and that became a problem.”

'Horrible thing'

Mr McNamara said deportation is a “horrible thing.”

“It's forcibly removing someone from the State - someone who came here hoping for a better life - and they're being forcibly removed,” he said.

“But I suppose for the system to be credible, it has to happen.

“It’s also supposed to come at the end of a very detailed consideration of the person's family situation [and] the links they've built up in the State and of course, the longer the process takes, the more links there will be.”

Two police officers escort an Afghan on a flight from Leipzig to Kabul in a charter aircraft. Credit: Michael Kappeler/dpa/Alamy Live News

The independent MEP noted that there are challenges in dealing with certain countries whose nationals face deportation.

“Some states don’t cooperate much with the Irish State in deportations, because people may not have travel documents and may not be willing to cooperate,” he said.

“Travel documents have to be issued by the state to which they're being returned.

He said the enforcement of deportation orders dropped when the current Government came to power.

“It would seem that people became aware of that, and Ireland perhaps became a more attractive destination as a result,” he said.

Charter planes

Mr McNamara also pointed out other challenges in the deportation system.

“These charter planes are very expensive and it’s a cumbersome process,” he said.

“That’s all the more reason the process of making a deportation order needs to be robust.

“It should be speedy but it should be robust – and they need to be able to stand over that.

"At a time of full employment in Ireland, it’s important to consider people’s work history and what their work prospects are in the State before spending a lot of money removing someone who might actually be contributing.”

Justice Minister Helen McEntee previously confirmed that special deportation flights will be operating from Ireland by the end of the year.

If current levels continue, Ireland is on track to issue over 2,000 deportation orders this year for the first time since 2019.

Main image: A deportation flight from Frankfurt. Image: Imago / Alamy Stock Photo