43 Georgians Deported from Ireland on Charter Flight

Irish authorities are carrying out mass deportations of Georgian citizens, who had to wait years for their international protection applications to be processed, hiding and working illegally. One such operation cost the state €225,000.

How the Deportation Was Organized

Ireland hires an entire charter flight to remove Georgian citizens sentenced to deportation. During the flight, people are guarded by Garda officers, with medical staff and interpreters also present. The flight goes directly to Tbilisi, where the deportees are handed over to Georgian authorities.

Those deported are people who had been hiding for years after receiving a removal order. They lived illegally, worked off the books, but were eventually detained and brought to the plane in handcuffs.

Scale and Cost of the Latest Operation

In the latest operation, 43 Georgian citizens were deported: 33 men, 7 women, and 3 minor children. The state spent €225,000 of taxpayer money on this deportation.

That amounts to roughly €5,300 per person — enough for a business-class flight.

History of Georgian Migration to Ireland

The mass influx of Georgian citizens into Ireland began after the 2008 conflict. The largest wave came in 2009. Since then, people have continued arriving, trying to obtain international protection, while others bring relatives over.

Every year Irish authorities carry out deportations of Georgians, though some have managed to stay in the country and obtain visas or international protection status.

Scale of the Removal System

It is impossible to instantly remove a large number of people of one nationality from a country. Such operations require time and a coordinated approach. Ireland’s deportation scheme itself needs improvement: the system directly hires entire planes and organizes complex logistics, though there are other ways to regulate migration.