Thirty-nine people, including four women and five children, were deported to Georgia last night on a chartered flight after they did not comply with deportation orders they received.
They left Dublin Airport on board the flight to Tbilisi, which landed in the Georgian capital this morning.
The Garda National Immigration Bureau Operation said all the children were part of family groups.
This is the second operation conducted since the recommencement of charter flights for deportations earlier this year.
The Department of Justice said 2,403 deportation orders were signed last year, an increase of 180% compared to 2023.
In 2024, 1,116 people departed the State under various mechanisms, including enforced deportation and voluntary return.
So far this year, 1,386 deportation orders have been signed and 647 people have left the State.
In February, 32 people who were subject to deportation orders, including three women and one child, were deported to Georgia.
Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan said he is "stepping up enforcement" and that "securing our borders is a central commitment of mine".
"Swift and fair returns of people whose applications have been refused is the foundation of any modern rules-based immigration process."
He added that if people wished to move to Ireland, they must do so using the appropriate legal pathways.
"Removal operations send a clear message that our laws are to be respected and underscores this Government's intention to protect the integrity of our immigration system," Minister O’Callaghan said.
He said gardaí and officials at his department were working to ensure that if a person is ordered to leave the country, that they did so.
Mr O'Callaghan said further charter operations would take place "to ensure a faster and more efficient removal system".
Another deportation flight left Dublin last night and landed safely this morning in Georgia. There were 39 people on board who had received but had not complied with Deportation Orders.
— Jim O'Callaghan TD (@OCallaghanJim) May 1, 2025
He added that many members of the Georgian community are here legally, and they contribute to the economy and the cultural and social fabric of Irish society.
Charter flights are used in addition to commercial flights, and the Government said they can be appropriate in circumstances where a group of people are being removed to the same destination.
The operations are conducted under a contract signed by the State last November for the provision of charter aircraft.
The Government said forced removals are carried out as a measure of last resort when the person concerned has not removed themselves from the State or availed of assisted voluntary return measures.
"Before a deportation order is made, the person is offered assistance to return home voluntarily, this is the preferred option," Mr O'Callaghan said.
"In addition to enforced removals, my department is achieving significant increases in the number of people leaving voluntarily and I am asking those who are given this opportunity to avail of it," he added.
Voluntary return is an option open to people who have no legal status in Ireland including those who are refused International Protection.
Where this option is taken up, a deportation order is not issued in respect of that person.
In 2024, the number of voluntary returns increased to 934 compared to 213 in 2023.
The Government said this remains the preferred method of removing people from the State.
An Garda Síochána said it continues to work closely with the Department of Justice in implementing immigration policy.
Minister O'Callaghan said that Ireland had an effective system when it comes to international protection.
"If people come in and they apply for asylum and they get asylum they're perfectly entitled to stay," he said.
Speaking in Galway, he said there must be a consequence if people are refused asylum.
"The consequence is they have to leave the country. In most instances we try to encourage people to leave voluntarily. Where they don't, I'm afraid we're going to have to use the power of the State to enforce deportations. That's what happened last night."
He said gardaí had done a "good and sensitive job in ensuring that there were 39 people on the plane who had been served with deportation orders."
He said enforced deportations would continue to be part of the Government's response.
