Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 February 2024
287. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons refused entry to the state every year for the past four years; the reasons for refusal; the point of entry where entry was refused; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7309/24]
View answerThe Border Management Unit of my Department is responsible for front-line Immigration ##at Dublin Airport only, as such the below figures reflect the position at Dublin Airport. Other airports and other ports of entry are the responsibility of the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB).
I have sought the information requested regarding other ports of entry from the Garda Commissioner and I will write to the Deputy directly once the information is to hand.
Under Section 4 of the Immigration Act 2004, an Immigration Officer must determine whether a non-EEA national should be granted leave to land and gain entry to the State. In performing their duties, an Officer is required to consider all of the circumstances of the individual at the time of entry.
Section 4(3) of that Act sets out the full range of grounds on which a passenger may be refused. People can be refused for more than one reason. These include, but are not limited to, persons arriving without correct documentation. The data is not maintained in a way that allows my Department to quickly disaggregate refusals under separate provisions.
Immigration officials conduct passport checks, and run operations as required, to ensure passengers arriving in the State are properly documented in accordance with Section 11 of the Immigration Act 2004.
When a person is refused leave to land at Dublin airport, the Immigration Officer will arrange for the person to be referred to the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) for removal from the State. The priority is to return them on the next available return flight to the last point of embarkation.
My Department’s Border Management Unit and the GNIB are working with airlines and international colleagues to take measures both at domestic airports and points of embarkation to address this issue. In addition to providing advice to airlines on specific queries, training is provided.
If a person indicates or is identified as being in need of international protection they are admitted to the international protection process. However, they will still be recorded as a refusal of leave to land.
Dublin Airport
|
Year |
Total Arriving Passengers |
Total Refusals |
|
2020 |
3,636,256 |
2,077 |
|
2021 |
4,118,027 |
3,210 |
|
2022 |
13,930,041 |
7,662 |
|
2023 |
16,628,545 |
5,826 |
