New figures show the cost of deporting 35 Nigerian asylum seekers earlier this month was half-a-million euro, when prison detention costs are added.
When 35 Nigerian asylum seekers - 21 adult men, 9 adult women and 5 children - were deported on 4 June last the Ministers at the Department of Justice said the operation cost €324,714. That figure was for the provision of the operation's flights.
When prison costs are taken into account, the bill rises to over half-a-million euro.
The Department confirmed to RTÉ’s News at One that the figure of €325,000 was for flights and it did not include prison costs associated with holding 28 of the Nigerian deportees for an average of 27 days each.
This means 756 prison days were used to accommodate the 28 detainees - 21 adult men and 7 adult women.
Calculations based on Department of Justice figures show those costs could have amounted to €205,201.
The Department confirmed to Morning Ireland the average cost of holding a prison in jail is nearly €99,072 each year. When that amount is divided by 365 days, the average cost amounts to €271.43 per day to house a prisoner.
A more conservative estimate from Irish Penal Reform Trust figures would put the amount to hold the 28 Nigerians for an average of 27 days each at just over €173,000. Irish Penal Reform Trust figures from 2023 estimated the average cost to house a prison is €230 per day.
The Department of Justice told RTÉ’s News at One that "the cost of detention of the cohort in question" is not available.
It said: "The cost of detention for the cohort in question is not available. The Irish Prison Service advise that the average annual cost of an available, staffed prison space for all prisoners during the calendar year 2024 was €99,072. This includes net expenditure incurred within the year (such as salaries, utilities/ maintenance, ICT, prison services, etc.) excluding capital expenditure on buildings, ICT and vehicle purchases."
The Department added: "It is the preferred option to return people voluntarily and the Department has a voluntary return programme to assist people to return prior to the issuance of a deportation order. In 2024, 934 people left Ireland by way of voluntary return. This year 740 people have left Ireland by way of voluntary return up to 13 June 2025 which is an increase of 233% compared to the same period in 2024."
It said that charter flights "are used alongside commercial flights and can be more appropriate in circumstances when a group of individuals are being removed to the same destination".
'Prisons are not appropriate'
The Irish Penal Reform Trust said prisons are not appropriate places for failed asylum seekers being deported from Ireland.
"Prisons are not the appropriate place for them to be detained - especially if they are sharing spaces with people who have been convicted when they are not convicted themselves," said the Saoirse Brady, executive director of the Irish Penal Reform Trust.
Ms Brady also said sending refugee detainees in Irish prisons was putting pressure on a service where prisoners sleep on mattresses beside toilets.
Gabriel Keaveney, Deputy General Secretary of the Prison Officers Association said having additional people sent to Irish prisons adds to the existing overcrowding crisis.
Prison service figures showed 5,415 prisoners were in custody on Monday. The bed capacity is 4,665 - that means its operating at 117% capacity - in all of the prisons. 422 prisoners were on mattresses on floors. 585 were on temporary release.
The Department of Justice said in a statement: "The majority of those detained were held in Cloverhill Remand Prison or Mountjoy Female Prison (Dóchas Centre) as appropriate. Other places of detention have been Cork Prison, Limerick Prison and Midlands Prison."
It added: "The Minister is committed to ensuring that Ireland’s immigration system is robust and rules based. The enforcement aspects of our laws, including deportation orders, are an essential requirement for the system to work effectively and to ensure that the public has confidence in the application of our legislation in this area."
Charter flight contract
Charter flight services to deport people from Ireland are provided by Air Partner Ltd under a contract entered into in November 2024.
This contract, the Department said, was signed following a competitive and open procurement process and the costs for the provision of the aircraft for these operations has been: €102,476 for a one-way flight to Georgia in February; €103,751 for a one-way flight to Georgia in May and €324,714 for a return flight to Nigeria in June.
Costs for the provision of supporting charter services such as ground handling services, on-board paramedics and flight manager have been €46,352 so far in 2025.
The department added: "The potential value of this contract is €5m over the lifespan of the contract. The term of the contract is 3 years with a possibility to extend it twice by one year, a potential lifespan of 5 years in total. The total expenditure under the contract with Air Partner will be based on the number of Charter Flights provided, the frequency of which will be determined by the operational needs of the State."
"So far in 2025, 106 people have been removed on charter deportation flights and 54 deportation orders have been enforced on commercial flights. The majority of these cases have involved periods of detention prior to departure. Any children removed were part of family groups and were not detained. Additionally, 23 people subject to deportation orders are confirmed to have left Ireland unescorted so far in 2025," the statement added.
A person who is the subject of a deportation order may be held in detention for up to 56 days for the purpose of ensuring their deportation from the State. An application to extend this period of detention must be made to the District Court.
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