Missing migrants said they were 'afraid of being deported'
After docking in Rosslare the group was taken to an asylum seeker centre in Dublin. Picture: Patrick Browne
Several undocumented migrants who were placed in State care after being rescued from a refrigerated container in Wexford said they were "afraid of being deported".
On Monday the group of 14 people, which included two young children, rang UK emergency services from the ship they were hiding on, when they became frightened they were running out of oxygen.
Having docked in Rosslare Harbour they were met by gardaí and emergency services and moved to a centre for asylum seekers in Dublin after receiving medical attention.
However, it has since emerged that up to eight people have left the centre and are unaccounted for.
A source told the : “When they arrived at the unit, they asked for a phone charger and were making calls and sending texts.
“They were supposed to be travelling to the UK. Some had contacts there, they said, and they just walked out the door."
The case, which has made international headlines, comes as gardaí have confirmed to the that they recorded a total of 53 cases involving victims of human trafficking last year.
In a statement, gardaí said they continue to “investigate all of the circumstances of the discovery of 14 persons concealed in a shipping container arriving in Rosslare Europort at approximately 3am on Monday, January 8.
“The evidence discovered in this case will ultimately determine whether this incident is a case of human trafficking or people smuggling, which, while both involve the illegal transportation of humans, the transportation is for a different purpose."
“People smuggling involves illegal immigrants making an illegal entry into Ireland. Illegal immigrants want to enter a destination country and often pay someone to facilitate their illegal entry."
