LABOUR’S ALAN KELLY has hit out at the three largest political parties in the State, arguing that they have been “trying to ride both horses” in relation to immigration.

The Tipperary North TD said some of the commentary from Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Sinn Féin in relation to immigration has been “frankly, unacceptable”.

“Trying to be on one hand, pro-migration, and on the other hand, making remarks that are totally unacceptable. And we have had nearly a catastrophic event only recently up in Drogheda,” Kelly said in reference to the arson attack at an IPAS centre in the town on Halloween.

“Dare I bloody say it, where would all the keyboard warriors be then? These anonymous, faceless thugs… We missed out narrowly, and thankfully, on that tragedy.”

Kelly made the remarks during a nearly four-hour debate in the Dáil this afternoon on the international protection system.

He called on the Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan to introduce a public awareness campaign about the positives of immigration and the fact that our health and care service would “collapse” without it.

“Without them, this country would simply stop,” he said.

“Let’s call a spade a spade because many people won’t say this, there are also jobs in this country that Irish people won’t do anymore. And we need people to supply services in our country,” he added.

Deportations

Elsewhere during the debate, the Dáil heard that the number of EU citizens removed from Ireland has more than quadrupled in the last year, from 24 in 2024 to 99 in 2025. 

Minister of State for Migration Colm Brophy said these EU citizens were subject to removal orders under free movement regulations. 

Brophy said: “These orders can be made on the grounds that an individual’s personal conduct represents a genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat affecting one of the fundamental interests of society.”

But that “a very high bar must be met for a person to be removed under this direction”.

This included the deportation of 23 Romanian citizens who were removed from Ireland by charter flight last month.

Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan told TDs that overall, he has issued nearly 4,000 deportation orders this year, and 1,770 people have been removed from Ireland in 2025.

That figure includes voluntary returns, enforced deportations, deportations on charter flights and deportations on commercial flights.

Sinn Féin’s migration spokesperson Matt Carthy argued that there has been a lack of enforcement of deportation orders from the State. 

He claimed that “the Minister does not know whether the vast majority subject to deportations have left or remain in the state”.

Adding: “In 2024 for example, there were 2,403 deportation orders, but only 156 confirmed deportations.”

“That’s six and a half percent”.

Profiteering

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin TD for Louth, Joanna Byrne, criticised the government for a lack of inspections of Ipas centres, stating that only two were published for the entire county of Louth in 2025 so far.

She said the international protection system is a “mess” and “operating in crisis mode”. 

“And worse, there is massive profiteering from the provision of inappropriate Ipas accommodation,” she said, adding that the recent Comptroller and Auditor General Review is a “damning indictment” of this.

She called on the government to “start prioritising profiteering”.

Throughout the debate, members of the government and the opposition condemned the arson attack in Drogheda, Co Louth, on Friday night.

O’Callaghan described it as “reprehensible” and said it is “important” not to let “extreme behaviour” dictate International Protection policy.

“Let’s be honest about it, that was an attempted murder if ever I’ve seen one,” he said.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said it was “callous, disgusting and indefensible” and described it as an “attempt to burn people alive” and “endanger the lives of small children”.

Includes reporting from Press Association.