Total of 54 adults and 9 children deported to South Africa

Ellen O'Donoghue

The Minister for Justice has confirmed 63 people have been deported.

A total of 54 adults, consisting of 28 men and 26 women, and nine children left Dublin Airport on Saturday on a charter flight to South Africa.

The children were all part of family groups, gardaí said.

They landed in Johannesburg shortly after 4am Irish time on Sunday.

It is the second such operation this year and the eighth since charter flights for removals and deportations recommenced in 2025.

The people on board were accompanied by members of An Garda Síochána, medical staff, an interpreter and a human rights observer.

In a statement, Jim O’Callaghan said these flights are an "essential part of immigration enforcement for the state" and are now a "routine" part of Ireland's immigration system.

Gardaí said 10 of the people deported had been convicted of offences in Ireland, with their removal supporting ongoing garda operations, including the targeting of sex offenders and domestic violence offenders; targeting the sale, supply, importation and cultivation of drugs; and targeting road safety.