Chartered deportation flights are now a “routine” part of Ireland’s immigration system, the Minister for Justice said as 54 adults and nine children were flown from Ireland to South Africa on Saturday night.
It was the eighth such mass deportation since the formation of this Government.
Jim O’Callaghan has confirmed that the charter flight left Dublin shortly after 5pm on Saturday and landed in Johannesburg after 4am Irish time on Sunday.
There were 28 men, 26 women and nine children.
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According to the Department of Justice, the children were part of family units.
This is the second charter flight in 2026 and the eighth since the Government took office in early 2025. The Government confirmed that more operations are planned for this year.
The people on the flight were accompanied by members of An Garda Síochána, medical staff, an interpreter and a human rights observer.
“Charter flights are now a routine and essential part of immigration enforcement for the State,” O’Callaghan said.
“Without effective enforcement measures, our immigration laws would be undermined, and I want to ensure that there is public confidence in the application of our laws in this area. If a person does not have a legal permission to be in the State, or has been involved in criminality, they will be removed,” O’Callaghan said.
In a statement, the Garda said 10 of the 54 adults who were deported had been convicted of offences in this jurisdiction.
[ Family at centre of Department of Justice protest deported to South AfricaOpens in new window ]
Minister of State Colm Brophy said that the “majority of South African nationals resident in Ireland are doing so legally, having entered the State though the various legal pathways available. They are welcome and contribute immensely to our economy and society.”
It comes as former taoiseach Leo Varadkar has warned the Government may be engaging in “performative cruelty” in its new immigration law.
In his weekly column in the Sunday Times, Varadkar welcomed some aspects of the new International Protection Bill but warned that strict limits on family reunification was a cause for concern.
Varadkar said that a new rule which does not allow someone to apply for reunification until two years after they have been given leave to remain in Ireland in practical terms meant keeping parents away from their children for four years.
“That’s four years of missed birthdays, Christmases, first days at school, illnesses, admissions to hospital. No provision is being made for extreme circumstances like a lost child from whom the refugee was separated.
“I understand the need for the Government to show that it is getting a handle on immigration but I fear that this particular proposal risks straying into the domain of performative cruelty. Even as someone who has no children, I know this just feels wrong. I am sure many of the TDs and senators who are parents must in their hearts feel the same.”
Varadkar said that for conservatives, the proposal goes against Catholic teaching and the same law could run foul of the constitutional protections afforded to the nuclear family.
