Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 June 2026
141. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of officers from each State authority engaged in Operation Sonnet each year since it was established; the number of days of action that have been held each year; and the number of detections have been made each year. [46363/26]
View answerI can advise the Deputy that ‘Operation Sonnet’ is an An Garda Síochána (AGS) operation targeting abuse of the Common Travel Area (CTA). It targets people attempting to abuse the CTA by illegally crossing the Irish border from Northern Ireland.
During the overt element of Operation Sonnet, Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) Officers operate checkpoints and vehicle stops on north south transit routes in order to conduct immigration checks on passengers travelling by means of both public and private transport from Northern Ireland to Ireland. ‘Operation Gull’ is the UK equivalent.
During these operations, people entering Ireland illegally were refused leave to land.
The table below outlines the detections and days of action.
Table 1: Operation Sonnet statistics
|
Year |
Detections |
Days of Action |
|
2023 |
56 |
11 |
|
2024 |
235 |
37 |
|
2025 |
184 |
30 |
*Operation Sonnet was impacted by the disruption in Holyhead Port in December 2024 and January 2025.
