THE MINISTER FOR Justice has said that chartered deportation flights from Ireland will commence later this year.

The government intends to oversee an increase in deportation orders issued this year, according to Minister Jim O’Callaghan.

Speaking to reporters today, O’Callaghan said: “I think we’re going to see more deportation orders issued this year.

“No country can adopt a relaxed or casual attitude to its borders or to migration. It’s a security issue as well as being a rights issue,” he said.

“I think that’s an area where I’m going to focus on.”

O’Callaghan said that Ireland will need to have charter flights for deportations “in order to be effective” and that these will start to take off this year.

The minister refused to confirm whether or not Ireland has yet secured a charter plane for the flights.

Last year, the head of the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) Detective Chief Superintendent Aidan Minnock told The Journal in an interview that he expected a ‘significant increase’ in the number of deportation orders as a result of changes in how An Garda Síochána and the Department of Justice work.

Around 2,400 deportation orders were issued in 2024, which was nearly triple the number signed in 2023.

O’Callaghan was speaking earlier ahead of citizenship ceremonies today and tomorrow that will formally grant citizenship to more than 5,000 people.

614 of the new citizens are originally from the UK and 191 are from the US. The most common nation of origin is India, with 914 new citizens coming from there.

O’Callaghan said it was a “great honour” to attend his first citizenship ceremony as minister for justice.

“I know how much becoming an Irish citizen means to each and every person attending these ceremonies. I want to congratulate them, along with their family and friends who have come along to support them, on this important moment in their lives,” he said.

“Becoming a citizen means more than receiving an Irish Passport, it is about belonging, knowing that Ireland is your home and becoming truly part of our society.

“I call on all our new citizens to actively contribute to the wellbeing of our society and collectively, we can make Ireland a better place for everyone.”