Increase in Brazilian Deportations from Ireland,Including prisoners,reported in 2025
A special Garda operation has contributed to a notable increase in the number of Brazilians deported from Ireland so far in 2025,according to reporting in The Irish Times. The deportations have occurred through both forced removals and a surge in voluntary return schemes.
Three charter flights have been utilized to deport a total of 106 individuals – two to Georgia and one to Nigeria – while commercial flights have been used specifically for the deportation of Brazilian nationals. Since June,42 Brazilians have been deported on commercial flights,37 of which were enforced deportations carried out by the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB). This represents over half of all forced deportations, of all nationalities, carried out via commercial flights since the beginning of the year.
The number of Brazilians living in ireland is a subject of differing estimates. The 2022 census recorded 27,000, while a study by the Brazilian embassy in Dublin, published last year, estimated the figure to be 58,500.
The deported Brazilians largely comprised adult males, though over 10 were women or children. All had either been refused international protection or lacked legal permission to remain in Ireland. notably, 15 of those deported were currently serving prison sentences, indicating a focused effort to remove prisoners deemed a safety risk. The Department of Justice is collaborating with the Garda and Irish Prison Service to identify further prisoners for deportation, with additional operations anticipated in the coming months.
Alongside enforced deportations,the number of individuals utilizing the voluntary return program has risen sharply. In 2024, 934 people left ireland through the scheme, with 684 having previously been denied international protection. This figure is more than four times the 213 who used the programme in 2023. The trend has continued into 2025, with approximately 850 people availing of the voluntary return scheme in the first six-and-a-half months of the year.
Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan acknowledged in June that deportations are “costly and complex,” but emphasized that ensuring a “robust and rules based” immigration system is a “priority.” He also stated that individuals subject to deportation orders who do not leave voluntarily, including through the Government-funded voluntary return scheme, will be removed from the country.