DEPORTATIONS of unsuccessful asylum applicants and undocumented migrants have cost taxpayers over 3.5m euro in only two years, according to figures released to Metro Eireann by the Department of Justice. The overall figure includes the cost of chartering private aircraft, and the use of commercial aircraft and ferries.
Air Partner Plc, a leading UK-based global aircraft charter broker, was contracted by the Department of Justice in February 2005 as the approved service provider of chartered aircraft for deportations for a two-year period. In this time, 13 charter flights were provided by Air Partner Plc for deportation purposes, on which a total of 426 people were re-moved at a cost of 2,336,184 euro. Over the same period, a further 1,165,411 euro was spent on removing people by scheduled/commercial flights. This figure includes the use of ferries “in very limited circumstances for some Dublin II removals”, stated a Justice Department spokesperson, in reference to individuals transferred to the EU country where they hadtheir first opportunity to submit an asylum application.
Commenting on the figures, Rosanna Flynn of Residents Against Racism described the amount of money being spent on deportation by the State as a “criminal waste”.
She noted: “It is an incredible waste of money when we need workers. It’s a criminal waste of money.” She said there was now a “new chance” of looking afresh at the area with a new Minister for Justice, Brian Lenihan TD, in place, and that she supports an amnesty for undocumented migrants – including failed asylum seekers – currently in Ireland. She added, however, that speculation about such measures in the past has only resulted in false hope among asylum seekers.
The number of annual asylum applications in recent years has been rapidly declining. Last year, the figure fell to 4,314, the lowest in 10 years. It marked a decrease of some 63 per cent on 2002, when 11,634 people applied. Between 2000 and 2005, some 38,950 people applied for asylum in Ireland, and during this same period 6,814 people were accorded refugee status.
With around 17,000 immigrants – which would have included a sizable proportion of failed asylum seekers – gaining residency under the briefly-reopened IBC (Irish-Born Child) scheme in 2005, along with a small proportion being accorded humanitarian leave to remain and others leaving the country undetected, it remains unclear whether the Government truly knows how many undocumented people are left evading deportation.
In January, speaking at a Law Society of Ireland conference in Dublin, David Costello, principal officer in Asylum Policy at the INIS (Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service), referred to “a huge problem effecting our deportation process”.
He said “thousands” of failed asylum seekers are evading deportation and that the proposed introduction of detention centres would be “a deterrent to that type of unfounded application”.
But the detention centre proposal that he outlined only applied to new asylum applicants, causing some speculation that there could be a general amnesty for those already here.
In recent years, as few as one-in-five deportation orders have been effected. In 2004, for example, a total of 599 deportations were carried out from 2,866 deportation orders signed by the then Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell. However, mass deportations look set to continue, with Air Partner Plc having won a new contract from the Department of Justice to continue providing services until May 2009, following a tendering competition held last February.
A Justice Department spokesperson commented on the process of selection: “The competition was a specification-based competition, which sought to identify suitably qualified service providers based on certain competencies that the INIS and the Garda National Immigration Bureau identified and considered essential for this type of operation.
The tender was awarded on the basis of the tendering parties reaching or exceeding specific requirements. These requirements are considered essential by the INIS for the safe, effective and secure operation of such flights.”
Regarding the high cost of deportations, the spokesperson said: “The deportation of illegal immigrants and refused asylum seekers is costly, particularly to distant countries such as Nigeria, China, etc. In most cases removals are carried out using commercial flights which usually involves transit through other European airports, as Ireland does not have direct flights to most of the countries of return. In addition, most flights have to be booked at short notice very near the date of departure, which involves higher costs than if booked well in advance.”
However, the spokesperson added: “…In considering the costs of deportations, the considerable expense arising from the continued presence in the State of persons who are the subject of deportation orders has to be taken into account. These costs include social welfare costs, direct provision costs, and detention costs in certain cases.
“While it is important to keep deportation costs to a minimum, not to remove persons refused permission to remain in the State would call into question the integrity of the entire immigration system.”
Meanwhile, the Justice spokesman with the main opposition party said that an amnesty could send out a “wrong signal”.
Jim O’Keeffe TD of Fine Gael told Metro Eireann: “I am in favour of reforming the asylum process but an amnesty would send out the wrong signal. It is crucial in this globalised age for every State to have a coherent and consistent immigration policy.”
But he added: “The existing asylum process should be more efficient and cost-effective.”
Labour’s Justice spokesperson Brendan Howlin TD was not available for comment, while at press time Metro Eireann was awaiting comment from the Green Party’s Justice spokesperson, Ciaran Cuffe TD.
