Dáil Éireann Debate, Monday - 11 September 2017
609. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if the State will be issuing an apology to a person (details supplied); his plans to review the immigration interrogation policy at the State's airports. [37771/17]
View answerIt would not be appropriate for me to go into the details of the case referred to by the Deputy. However, I am satisfied that the appropriate procedures and processes were followed in this case and that the person in question was correctly refused entry to the State. Subsequently, as an exceptional measure, she was given a limited permission to remain.
The following matters pertain in all cases where a person is refused permission to enter the State.
- There are in total twelve (12) grounds on which an immigration officer may refuse to give a permission to enter the State and these are set out at Section 4 (3) of the Immigration Act 2004 (as amended by the International protection Act 2015). While a person may be refused permission to enter the State based on a number of grounds, such refusal need only be based on any one of those grounds. Immigration officers are required to provide a written notice to the person refused entry that sets out the reasons for the decision. In all cases, removals from the State are conducted in accordance with the law. Translation facilities are available where necessary.
- An Immigration Officer before confirming a decision to refuse permission will consult with his or her Supervisor.
- Removals are essentially operational matters for the Garda National Immigration Bureau who work closely with civilian immigration officers on these matters.
- Section 5 of the Immigration Act, 2003 (as amended by the International protection Act, 2015), contains the main provisions dealing with the removal from the State of persons refused leave to land and specifies that a person to whom this section applies may be arrested by an immigration officer or a member of the Garda Síochána and detained in a prescribed place of detention for the purpose of facilitating their removal from the State, which must be as soon as is practicable.
- It is the practice to remove persons from the State on the next available flight or ship.
I accept that it would be beneficial to have dedicated facilities for the detention of persons refused entry to the State and I am therefore pleased to confirm that such facilities are being developed at Dublin Airport with a view to completion next year.
More generally Ireland operates a fair, secure and effective immigration system, and indeed, the Irish immigration system is one of the least burdensome for visitors. Immigration officers respect the dignity of all persons they engage with and carry out their functions with professionalism and care. It is equally important that persons seeking entry to the State provide accurate and full information as to the purpose of their entry. Processes and procedures are kept under regular review.
It should be noted that should any person who has been refused leave to land in the State seek entry to the State at a future point, their application will be assessed on its own merits taking all relevant information into consideration at that time. Their prior immigration history is a matter of record but does not preclude them from seeking permission to enter in the future.
As regards the person seeking entry into other Member States, this is a matter for the appropriate authorities in the Member States concerned.
