The Department of Justice has given a limited breakdown of thousands of immigrants in Ireland who were deported last year to their various home countries, including a number of EU member states.
“During 2011, almost 4,000 persons were removed from the State. Of these, almost 3,700 were refused permission to enter the State at ports of entry,” the department told Metro Éireann.
“A further 280 failed asylum seekers/illegal immigrants were deported from the State in 2011.”
Although the department said the list of “nationalities of persons refused leave to land is not readily available”, Metro Éireann has gathered that the top nationalities of the 280 illegal immigrants and failed asylum seekers feature strongly.
Nigerians top the list of failed applicants for refugee status and undocumented migrants deported in 2011 with 121 deportees, followed by South Africa and Moldova which came a distant second and third with 23 and 21 respectively. Georgia and Pakistan had 18 deportees each.
Apart from DR Congo (13), Brazil (11) and Mauritius (10), 22 other countries had between one and eight of their nationals sent home last year. Some of the high-profile countries include USA, with four people, and India, Israel and Turkey which had one deportee each.
Ireland also returned 41 EU nationals back to their countries of origin under the EU Removal Order in 2011. The department said the number included 15 Romanians, 10 Polish, nine Lithuanians and two Dutch. One each from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Bulgaria, and Spain were also returned. The reasons for their removal were not given by the department.
Of the 475 persons who returned voluntarily to their countries of origin in 2011, Brazil tops the lists with 108, followed by Moldova (54), Nigeria (35) and Georgia (33).
In addition, 144 asylum seekers were transferred to other EU member states under the Dublin Regulation in 2011. They include 24 Pakistanis, 19 Nigerians, 14 Congolese, nine Iraqis, nine Afghans and seven Iranians.
