One hundred people have been prosecuted in Ireland this year for arriving without a passport, with a 17% drop in such cases compared to last year, according to a submission to an Oireachtas immigration committee.
The number of deportations after failing to secure international protection has increased by 50%. The number of Department of Justice staff handling deportations is to increase from 72 to 119 by next year.
Plans to charter deportation flights will begin before the end of the year, with the government investing in immigration services to tackle the record level of asylum seekers in the country.
The government aims to increase the number of decisions made on asylum applications each month, with a goal of reducing the number of active cases to 10,500 by next year. There are also plans to increase staffing in various immigration offices to accommodate the increase in cases.
Minister McEntee is considering an expansion of the list of countries deemed safe under the country’s international protection law. Currently 10 countries re designated as safe; Algeria, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Georgia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and South Africa. Anyone arriving from these countries, or Nigeria, will have their asylum application processed within three months.
Other cases are taking on average 19 months.
