TÁNAISTE SIMON HARRIS has expressed concern over the Trump administration’s “aggressive” deportation policy after a plane containing US deportees was found to have landed in Shannon this week.

The Tánaiste was pressed on the issue by Labour leader Ivana Bacik during Leaders’ Questions in the Dáil on Thursday where she claimed Ireland is being “used as an instrument to violate human rights” in the illegal deportation of migrants.

“These are deportation flights that are illegal and taking place in violation of a US court order,” Bacik said.

The Journal received confirmation from gardaí yesterday that the flight stopped in Shannon Airport on Wednesday en route to Africa. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed the status of the plane in a statement released yesterday.

“The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is aware of reports that a US flight on 21 May landed in Shannon en route to Djibouti.

“This was a civil aircraft, and as such, no diplomatic clearance would have been sought or would have been required.”

The Journal has established that the plane, a Gulfstream V, landed in Shannon and spent approximately two hours on the ground. It is not known as yet if gardaí or immigration officials had any interactions with the plane during its time at the airport.

A federal judge in Boston ruled on Wednesday that the Trump administration had “unquestionably” violated a court order by deporting eight criminals to South Sudan without hearing their objections.

A lawyer for some of the deportees on the flight stopping at Shannon told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that she only learned that her clients had been removed from the US after seeing television reports about their landing in Shannon.

Trina Realmuto said: “I guess at this point, this far into this administration, I can’t say I’m shocked that the [US] Government is defying court orders, but given that just recently, on May 7, we we had to go to court and and try to stop a flight of people who were about to be deported to Libya, I am surprised that so shortly after that, we had to run him to court to try to stop a flight to South Sudan.”

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents guide undocumented migrants into a military plane in Texas. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the US Department of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin said those on the flight were the “worst of the worst” individuals, including child rapists.

The logistics of the flight

Ivana Bacik questioned whether the flight also landed in Shannon on its way back to the US.

“We understand that one of the planes in question, flight JNY588A, [was] due to refuel at Shannon Airport on its return journey from Sudan later today [Thursday night] at about 9.30 p.m., according to flight logs,” Bacik added.

She went on to further attack the “barrage of revelations” about flights from America refuelling in Shannon en route to Israel to deliver weapons, claiming the State’s position “remains something of a mystery”.

Harris acknowledged the arrival of the deportation flight on Wednesday, and said he spoke with Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien about the matter.

“Officials from my Department are liaising with the Department of Transport, the Department of Justice, and the US authorities,” Harris said.

Addressing the approach of the Trump administration to deportations, Harris said: “I am concerned about some of the aggressive migration policy we see being pursued in the United States of America.

“If we had a deportation flight landing in another country, there would be a presumption that those on the flight were lawfully detained.

“I am trying to piece together here information that is coming at us, in the first instance through US media, and the decision of the US courts.

He added: “I am very happy to keep in close contact with the Deputy and with this House because I recognise there is significant public interest and public concern in relation to this.”

With reporting from Niall O’Connor

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