The Irish Council for Civil Liberties said people arrested on arrival in the Republic, and then prosecuted for not having travel documents, retained their right to claim international protection. Photograph: iStockFigures obtained by The Irish Times show 96 people were arrested and brought before the courts since the start of the year, compared with two such cases in all of last year.
However, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties said it was concerned about the arrests. Executive director Liam Herrick said while the number of such arrests – followed by many of those people being charged and prosecuted – had increased, it is well established that many people fleeing persecution may have “perfectly legitimate reasons” for arriving in the Republic without documents.
In reply to queries, the Department of Justice, whose Border Management Unit is responsible for frontline immigration at Dublin Airport, confirmed the unit was carrying out “doorstop operations at aeroplanes to target those who destroyed documents in-flight”. The “doorstop operations”, as passengers disembark aeroplanes, were carried out to “establish a person’s identity and nationality”. Immigration officers, the Department added, must determine whether a non-EEA national should be granted leave to land and gain entry to the State. All of the circumstances of their arrival, including whether they had travel documents, could be considered.