Written answer
Deportation Orders
Twenty-four Romanian nationals were removed on a charter flight on 18 October 2026 on criminality grounds, with re-entry bans of up to 10 years. Seventeen had lived in Ireland for up to five years; the other seven fell into the five-to-ten-year or over-ten-year residence categories, which were not separated to protect identities.
370. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the length of time each person subject to deportation on the most recent chartered flight was present in the State prior to their removal (details supplied). [75177/26]
Comment on this
The removal of individuals involved in criminal activity, and those who pose a risk to public safety, remains a priority for me as Minister. My Department works closely with An Garda Síochána and the Irish Prison Service to ensure that high-risk individuals are prioritised for removal from the State.
Under the European Communities (Free Movement of Persons) Regulations 2015, which transpose the Free Movement Directive (Directive 2004/38/EC) into Irish law, removal and exclusion orders may be made in respect of citizens of the European Union, European Economic Area and Switzerland, as well as their family members, where they represent a threat to public policy or public security. Such orders may only be made where the person's personal conduct constitutes a genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat affecting one of the fundamental interests of society.
On 18 October 2026, removal orders were enforced against 24 Romanian nationals who were removed from Ireland on a charter flight. These orders were made in accordance with the Free Movement Directive on grounds of criminality. Re-entry bans of up to 10 years have also been imposed in order to prevent their return to the State.
As part of the consideration of each case, my Department must assess the residence status of Union citizens in accordance with the three graduated levels of protection provided for under the European Communities (Free Movement of Persons) Regulations 2015. These are:
• Public Policy/Public Security Grounds: applicable to individuals with up to five years' residence in the State;
• Serious Grounds of Public Policy/Public Security: applicable to individuals with between five and ten years' residence in the State; and
• Imperative Grounds of Public Security: applicable to individuals with more than ten years' residence in the State.
My Department does not release figures where fewer than five individuals are concerned, as there is a possibility that persons could be identified from the information provided. However, I can advise the Deputy that, as part of the most recent removal operation:
• 17 individuals were removed having been assessed under the lowest threshold, applicable to persons with up to five years' residence in the State; and
• 7 individuals were removed having been assessed under either the middle threshold (between five and ten years' residence) or the highest threshold (more than ten years' residence).
The table below sets out the number of removal orders enforced under the European Communities (Free Movement of Persons) Regulations 2015 from 2023 to 18 October 2026.
*(to 18/10/2026)
* Please note, figures are correct at time of issue, however, all statistics may be subject to data cleansing.