42 South African nationals, including 15 children, deported from Ireland

The justice department said the costs for the provision of the aircraft for this operation was €735,000 for a return flight.

Forty-two South African nationals, including 15 children, were deported from Ireland following an operation in Dublin.

The operation, carried out by the Department of Justice and gardaí, used a charter flight which left Dublin airport at 3.30pm on Thursday and arrived in South Africa at around 4am. 

A total of nine men, 18 women and 15 children were deported. A justice department spokesperson said all children were part of family units. 

Gardaí said two of the individuals had been "convicted of offences in this jurisdiction and their removal supports ongoing operations by An Garda Síochána nationwide".

The department said the costs for the provision of the aircraft for this operation was €735,000 for a return flight. It also added that further charter operations will be conducted throughout 2026.

It is the fourth deportation operation via charter flight to be carried out this year. A total of 130 people were removed from the State so far in the last three operations, including 67 EU citizens on grounds of criminality. 

To date this year, 2,108 deportation orders have been signed, while in 2025, 4,700 deportation orders were signed — an increase of 96% compared to 2024.

Last year, six charter operations were conducted, which saw the removal of 205 people from the State.

The deportees in Friday's operation were accompanied by members of gardaí, medical staff, an interpreter and a human rights observer.

Justice minister Jim O’Callaghan said: "Our immigration system must be rules-based and robust. The enforcement aspects of our laws, including deportation orders, are an essential requirement for the system to work effectively and to ensure there is public confidence in the application of our legislation in this area."

“The vast majority of South African nationals are legally resident in the State and positively contribute to society," he said. 

“I would like to thank the members of An Garda Síochána and officials from my department for their continued work in conducting these complex operations."