Ireland Deports 42 South Africans, Including 15 Children, on Charter Flight
A total of 42 South African nationals, including 15 children, have been deported from Ireland following the country’s latest government-chartered removal flight.
The deportation operation was carried out on Thursday by the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB), with all those removed leaving the country under deportation orders issued by the Minister for Justice.
Those deported comprised 18 women, nine men and 15 children.
According to Ireland’s Department of Justice, none of the children was deported alone, as they were all accompanied by their families.
The charter flight, which cost €735,000 excluding VAT for the return journey, departed Dublin on Thursday afternoon and arrived in Johannesburg on Friday morning with all 42 deportees on board.
Reacting to the operation, Justice Minister, Jim O’Callaghan, said the overwhelming majority of South African nationals living in Ireland were law-abiding residents who made valuable contributions to society, but stressed that the country’s immigration system must operate within the rule of law.
“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,” O’Callaghan said.
Minister of State for Migration, Colm Brophy echoed the position, saying Ireland welcomed migrants because of their contributions to the country’s economy, society and communities, but insisted they must enter through the legal immigration pathways and comply with the nation’s laws.
The Department of Justice disclosed that two of the 42 deportees had been convicted of criminal offences in Ireland, with their removal forming part of ongoing nationwide operations by the Gardaí.
The deportees were accompanied on the flight by members of An Garda Síochána, medical personnel, an interpreter and an independent human rights observer.
The latest operation is Ireland’s fourth charter deportation flight of 2026. The previous three flights resulted in the removal of 130 people from the country.
Last year, Irish authorities carried out six charter deportation operations that saw 205 people removed from the State.
The latest removals come amid tougher immigration enforcement measures. Deportation orders issued in 2025 rose by 96 per cent compared with 2024, with 4,700 orders signed during the year.
According to the Minister for Justice, 2,108 deportation orders have already been signed so far in 2026.
