4,000 immigrants evade deportation orders

APPROXIMATELY 4,000 people have evaded deportation orders since September 1999, according to figures from the Department of Justice.

However, the department believes most of the immigrants avoiding the orders have since left Ireland.

“It’s not possible to say that all of these people are still in the state,” a spokesman said.

“The suspicion would be that the majority of them have left. There are no traces of them through the social welfare system or their last-known addresses.”

The Irish Refugee Council (IRC) said there was anecdotal evidence to suggest that most of those evading deportation orders would have left Ireland for Britain due, mainly, to ease of access.

The IRC said it was very difficult to remain informed as to the fortunes of immigrants who leave the country unannounced.

While 4,000 people evaded orders since September 1999, some 1,400 have been deported in the same period.

Rough estimates provided by the Department of Justice indicate that the average cost of a deportation is working out this year at 2,800, a decrease from last year when the average figure was just over 3,000.

The department said it is hard to provide precise details as deportations vary in terms of the country a person is being returned to, whether a garda escort is needed, and, if so, how many gardaí accompany the immigrant.

Meanwhile, the number voluntarily returning to their countries of origin is steadily increasing.

In 1999, there were 99 voluntary returns. This rose to 248 in 2000 and to 365 in 2001.

So far this year, 460 people have voluntarily left after their applications to remain were turned down.