Justice minister says 32 Georgians deported on charter flight ‘a significant start’

The flight left Dublin Airport on Thursday night and arrived in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Friday morning.

Ireland deported 32 people to Georgia on Thursday, February 27, using a chartered flight to enforce immigration laws, the justice minister has confirmed. 

In a social media post this morning, Jim O'Callaghan confirmed that 32 people had been returned to Georgia.

Last night a flight chartered by my Dept left Dublin forTbilisi Georgia with 32 people who had previously received deportation orders.The flight has now landed & the people are back safely inGeorgia.I want to thank the Gardai & officials in my Dept for coordinating this flight

— Jim O'Callaghan TD (@OCallaghanJim) February 28, 2025

 

The flight, costing €102,476, left Dublin Airport on Thursday night and arrived in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Friday morning.

The deportees, all Georgian nationals, were accompanied by garda officers, medical staff, an interpreter, and a human rights observer.

Gardaí say the deportees included 28 men, three women and a child. 

"The child removed is part of a family group (father, mother and child)," the spokesperson said. 

This was the first deportation flight under a new contract signed in November to provide chartered planes for these operations, with more flights planned later this year.

Mr O’Callaghan confirmed the return of chartered deportation flights, saying: “A central priority for me and this Government is that our immigration laws are robust and enforced.

"People are entitled to have confidence in our immigration system and there must be consequences for individuals who refuse to leave the State when they are ordered to do so.”

The deportees, all Georgian nationals, were accompanied by garda officers, medical staff, an interpreter, and a human rights observer.

In a statement, he called the flight a “significant step” in making sure deportation orders are followed and said more flights would be scheduled. He also thanked gardaí and Government staff for their work.

Referencing a strain on housing supply, Mr O’Callaghan said they needed to “try to reduce those pressures” by informing people from “generally safe” countries that their application for asylum is likely to be refused.

“If they seek asylum in Ireland, the likelihood – obviously, it will still be assessed – the likelihood is that you’ll be refused asylum if you seek it from Georgia,” he told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.

“I don’t derive any enjoyment from this, but it is part of my function as Minister for Justice that we have an effective immigration system.

“And if people have been served with deportation orders they must leave the country, and if they don’t do it voluntarily, we will enforce it.” 

He said the cost of the flight to Georgia was €102,476, and that further flights will be scheduled in the future.

“Today is a significant start in ensuring that deportation orders are enforced and part of a more effective immigration system generally,” he said.

Reacting to the news, Tánaiste Simon Harris said that “a fair and firm migration system must ensure deportations are effective and efficient”.

“If you don’t have a legal right to be here, our system must act and today is evidence that it is and it will,” he said on X.

Georgia is among the top five countries from where the most asylum applications are made to Ireland.

It has been designated a “safe” country by Ireland for the purposes of asylum applications.

This was the first deportation flight under a new contract signed in November to provide chartered planes for these operations, with more flights planned later this year.

 Minister of State for Migration Colm Brophy also welcomed the operation, saying a strong deportation system is essential.

“Chartered deportation flights will now form an important part of removing people who do not have a right to remain in our country,” Brophy said.

“I look forward to seeing these flights operate alongside voluntary deportations, ensuring we have a firm and effective system in place.”

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said it was the largest “removal operation” carried out by the Garda National Immigration Bureau in more than six years.

“An Garda Síochána continues to play its role in enforcing immigration legislation and maintaining the security and integrity of our borders,” the commissioner said.

“I want to express my thanks to all the members of An Garda Síochána involved in the planning and implementation of this significant operation, particularly those involved in tracking down and finding these individuals.”

A total of 1,792 deportation orders were signed up to November last year signed last year, up 140% on the same period last year, while the number of enforced deportations also increased by 165% on the same period in 2023.

The Government last year tendered for services including deportation flights and has focused on accelerated processing of asylum seekers.

 - additional reporting from PA