It is a central priority for me that Ireland's immigration system is robust and rules-based. Effective enforcement of our immigration laws, including the implementation of deportation orders, is essential to maintaining confidence in the integrity of the system and ensuring that our legislation is applied consistently.
Any person who is, or becomes, illegally resident in the State is issued with a Notification of Intention to Deport under section 3 of the Immigration Act 1999, as amended.
This notification is also sent to the person's legal representative (a solicitor or barrister), where one is known. The notification advises the individual of the options available to them at that point. The person must choose one of the following options within 15 working days of the issuance of the notification:
• Leave the State voluntarily;
• Consent to deportation; or
• Submit written representations outlining why a Deportation Order should not be made against them.
Where a person does not leave the State following the issuance of a deportation order, enforcement action may be required. In recent years, my Department has taken significant steps to strengthen immigration enforcement and increase the number of removals carried out.
The number of deportation orders signed in 2024 (2,403) represented an increase of 180% compared with 2023 (857). In 2025, a total of 4,700 deportation orders were signed, a further increase of 96% on the 2024 figure. As of 18 September 2026, 3,381 deportation orders had been signed.
Table 2: Deportation Orders Signed, 2021-2026
|
Year
|
2021
|
2022
|
2023
|
2024
|
2025
|
2026 (18/09/26)
|
|
Deportation orders signed
|
33
|
549
|
857
|
2,403
|
4,700
|
3,381
|
* Please note, figures are correct at time of issue, however, all statistics may be subject to data cleansing.
* During the COVID- 19 Pandemic there was a moratorium on deportations. This was effective during the latter part of 2020, 2021 and for the first 8 months of 2022. During the moratorium only people who whose presence in Ireland would be contrary to the public interest were deported. This moratorium was lifted in July 2022.
In 2025, six charter flight operations removed 205 people from the State. Of these, five operations to non-EU destinations removed 182 people who were subject to deportation orders and one operation removed 23 EU citizens on grounds of criminality. In 2026 to date, six charter flights have removed 221 people.
The table below details the number of deportations, removals and voluntary returns from 2021 to 18 September 2026.
Table 2. Deportation Enforcement 2021 to 2026
|
Year
|
Enforced Deportations
|
Otherwise Confirmed Deportations (1)
|
Total Deportations
|
Other Removals (2)
|
Voluntary Returns
|
Total Removed
|
|
2021
|
5
|
33
|
38
|
46
|
132
|
216
|
|
2022
|
24
|
93
|
117
|
39
|
91
|
247
|
|
2023
|
51
|
28
|
79
|
24
|
215
|
318
|
|
2024
|
134
|
28
|
162
|
26
|
934
|
1,122
|
|
2025
|
367
|
67
|
434
|
61
|
1,616
|
2,111
|
|
2026 (18/09/26)
|
284
|
72
|
356
|
119
|
1,202
|
1,677
|
* Please note, figures are correct at time of issue, however, all statistics may be subject to data cleansing.
* During the COVID-19 Pandemic there was a moratorium on deportations. This was effective during the latter part of 2020, 2021 and for the first 8 months of 2022. During the moratorium only people who whose presence in Ireland would be contrary to the public interest were deported. This moratorium was lifted in July 2022.
* A deportation effected in a particular year may relate to a Deportation Order signed in a previous year.
1. Otherwise confirmed deportations is where it has been confirmed a person has left the state following receipt of a deportation order without being escorted.
2. Other removals include Dublin III Transfer Orders of International Protection applicants to another EU State and EU Removal Orders for the return of EU Citizens under the Free Movement Regulations (these orders are made on grounds of criminality) and people who are deemed inadmissible under the International Protection Act.
The enforcement of deportation orders is an operational matter for the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB), and my Department works closely with the GNIB to facilitate the removal of individuals who are subject to deportation orders. Where a person does not leave the State voluntarily, they are required to present to the GNIB in accordance with the conditions attached to their deportation order.
The number of enforced deportations has increased by 19% compared with the same period in 2025, rising from 235 to 282. In addition, the number of EU removals carried out on grounds of criminality has increased by 500% for the same period in 2025, rising from 19 to 114 over the same period.
It is also the case that a significant number of persons who are subject to deportation orders leave the State without notifying the relevant authorities. As there are no routine exit checks at Ireland's borders, it is not possible to determine definitively the number of individuals who have complied with a deportation order. However, I am informed that the GNIB has reviewed a substantial sample of such cases, and its inquiries indicate that a very significant proportion of these individuals have departed the State.
Statistics are not maintained in a manner that allows for the extraction of data on the number of
people who subsequently applied for visas, residence permissions, citizenship, or re-entry and were refused. Any person who is subject to a Deportation Order is required to leave the State and will not be granted any permission to remain in the State or a visa to return to the State unless that Deportation Order is revoked.
