Five children were among a group of 35 people deported to Nigeria on a chartered flight from Dublin Airport on Wednesday.
The Garda National Immigration Bureau carried out the operation, which involved 21 men, nine women and five children. The children involved were deported as part of family groups.
An Garda Síochána said in a statement it “continues to work closely with the Department of Justice in implementing immigration policy”.
Deportation flights from Ireland resumed in February with the removal of 32 people on a chartered flight to Georgia at a cost of €102,476.
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That was the first deportation operation carried out under a contract signed by the State last November for the provision of charter aircraft, with the Department of Justice saying the services have “significantly increased” the capacity of An Garda Síochána to effect removals.
A further 39 were deported to Tbilisi in May.
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Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan said returning people whose applications had been refused and who have had deportation orders issued against them is “the foundation of any modern rules-based immigration process.”
“People coming to Ireland must follow the appropriate pathways for legal migration and these pathways must be adhered to and protected for our immigration system to work fairly and effectively. If a person’s application for international protection is refused and they are ordered to leave the State they must do so.
This is the third charter operation this year, he added.
“Removal operations of this nature send a clear message that there are consequences for people who remain in our country without permission and underscores this Government’s intention to protect the integrity of our immigration system.”
The minister also said that the flight “was required to make an unscheduled stop due to a medical incident on board, but I am happy to say that the flight was able to resume its journey with all 35 returnees arriving safely in Nigeria this morning.”
“I want to thank the members of An Garda Síochána and my officials for their work in conducting this successful operation.”
According to the Department of Justice, some 2,403 deportation orders were signed in 2024, which was an increase of 180% on 2023. In 2024, 1,116 people with no legal status in Ireland, or whose international protection applications were refused, departed the State under either voluntarily or through enforced deportation.
This year so far, 1,940 deportation orders have been signed and 888 have departed the State under various mechanisms.
