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Irish authorities have deported 42 South African nationals who were living illegally in the country, in an operation that cost an initial €735,000.
The group, made up of nine men, 18 women and 15 children, left Dublin Airport on a charter flight on Thursday and arrived in South Africa on Friday morning. The children were all travelling with their families.
According to reports from The Irish Times, the deportations were carried out by Ireland’s Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) after deportation orders were issued. Authorities said two of the deportees had criminal convictions in Ireland.
Irish Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan stressed that the majority of South Africans in Ireland are living there legally.
“Our immigration system must be rules-based and robust. The enforcement aspects of our laws, including deportation orders, are an essential requirement for the system to work effectively and to ensure there is public confidence in the application of our legislation in this area,” he said.
O’Callaghan said the €735,000 figure is only an initial estimate and the final cost will be confirmed after all invoices have been processed.
The operation was the fourth charter deportation flight carried out by Ireland in 2026.
Three earlier flights removed 130 people from the country, including 67 European Union citizens who were deported because of criminal offences, O’Callaghan stated.
Ireland has stepped up immigration enforcement in recent years. In 2025, authorities signed 4,700 deportation orders, nearly double the number issued in 2024.
So far in 2026, more than 2,100 deportation orders have already been issued.
A deportation order is issued when a person is found to be living illegally in the country and does not choose to return home voluntarily.
