Record number of non-EU nationals illegally present in Ireland last year

The report  provides evidence of a growing crackdown on illegal immigrants by the Irish authorities with 5,460 individuals found to be illegally present in the Republic in 2025 — up from 3,265 the previous year. File picture

A record number of non-EU nationals were found to be illegally present in Ireland last year following a 67% increase in detections of individuals with no authorisation to be in the State.

New figures on enforcement of immigration legislation across the EU show that a record number of foreign nationals were ordered to leave Ireland in 2025. There was also a record number of actual returns of people ordered to leave.