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01 Mar 2026

LATEST: Convicted criminals among latest cohort of people deported from Ireland

Gardai say 63 people were removed to South Africa on Saturday on foot of orders issued by the Minister for Justice

LATEST: Convicted criminals among latest cohort of people deported from Ireland

Gardai say 63 people were removed to South Africa on Saturday on foot of orders issued by the Minister for Justice

More than 60 men, women and children have arrived in South Africa having been deported from Ireland this weekend, gardai have confirmed.

On Saturday, members of the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) carried out an operation removing dozens of individuals from the State on foot of Deportation Orders issued by the Minister for Justice.

"This operation resulted in the removal of 63 South African nationals - 28 adult males, 26 adult females and 9 juveniles. The juveniles removed were all part of family groups," said a garda spokesperson.

READ ALSO: RIP: Two teenagers killed, three injured in early-morning road crash in County Mayo

In a post on social media, The Minister for Justice, Jim O'Callaghan, confirmed all of the individuals were removed on a chartered flight which left Dublin for South Africa, arriving on Sunday morning.

A garda spokesperson added that ten of the individuals who were removed from the state had been convicted of offences in this jurisdiction, and that their removal supports ongoing operations by An Garda Síochána nationwide.

In addition to drugs and road traffic offence, the operations include investigations targeting sex offenders, domestic violence offenders, for offences including rape, sexual assault and possession of child sexual abuse material.

"An Garda Síochána continues to work closely with the Department of Justice in implementing immigration policy and the Irish Prison Service in the implementation of these operations," said a garda spokesperson.

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