Minister for Justice Michael McDowell yesterday called on gardaí to ensure they use "to the maximum" powers that allow them to impound uninsured cars.
Commenting on the number of foreign nationals involved in road traffic deaths since the start of this year, he told reporters he did not want to "dump on one community rather than another".
However, anybody coming to Ireland to work and who drives "must find out what our laws are and you must obey them".
"It is obviously a cause of concern if anybody dies. And it's obviously a cause of concern if anybody is ignoring the rules of the road.
"But everyone has to familiarise themselves with the rules of the road, and nobody is exempt from the operation of our law.
"[ Uninsured cars] should be impounded and that's already in the law, and I would encourage An Garda Síochána to ensure that that power is used to the maximum."
Mr McDowell added that road safety literature was now being written in different languages, but that "most people, whatever language they have, know that you don't drink and drive".
"I think that anybody who is working in Ireland should get that message fairly clearly into their head that you don't drink and drive."
Mr McDowell was speaking at a graduation ceremony for 84 new Garda recruits - 62 men and 22 women - at the Garda training college in Templemore.
The majority (53) of the new recruits have been assigned to stations in the Dublin area.
Each of three medals awarded for excellence in their studies were presented to female graduates.
Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy acknowledged that the force is "undergoing constant change" at a time when there was "no shortage of experts who know what and how we should do our business".
"It is a demanding time to be a police officer in Ireland and while it often appears that your actions are not universally appreciated, it is up to you to regain any ground that may have been lost through the actions of a few errant officers," he told those present.
"Probably more than any other activity, policing is open to scrutiny by many people."
He welcomed recent changes to the requirements for entry to the Garda which he said allowed the force to "lead the way in being fully and completely reflective of the make-up of our modern changing society".