Ireland has deported 35 Nigerian nationals for breaching immigration laws, according to a statement released by the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB).
The deportation, carried out via a chartered flight that departed Dublin Airport on the night of June 4, 2025, included five children and nine women. Authorities confirmed that the children were part of family units.
“This is the third charter operation this year,” the GNIB stated. “All individuals were removed on a chartered flight… with all 35 returnees arriving safely in Nigeria this morning.”
The Irish government began operating charter deportation flights in February 2025, and this latest removal marks the first such operation to Africa this year.
Ireland’s Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan, emphasized the country’s commitment to a rules-based immigration system, stating that deportations are essential to upholding the integrity of immigration processes.
“Ireland has a rules-based immigration system. It is important that those rules are robust and enforced,” O’Callaghan said. “The return of people whose applications have been refused and deportation orders have issued is the foundation of any modern rules-based immigration process.”
He stressed that while Ireland welcomes legal migrants, individuals who have exhausted legal avenues for asylum or residency must leave the country.
“People coming to Ireland must follow the appropriate pathways for legal migration… If a person’s application for international protection is refused and they are ordered to leave the State, they must do so,” he added.
O’Callaghan further noted that the charter flight experienced an unscheduled stop due to a medical incident on board but later resumed its journey without further complications.
The Irish government maintains that such operations serve as a deterrent against unlawful stays and reinforce the nation’s commitment to a fair and regulated immigration system.
