A charter flight on Sunday removed 33 Polish and Lithuanian nationals from the State on grounds of criminality, the Minister for Justice and Migration has said.
Jim O’Callaghan said the cost of using the aircraft for the operation was €122,000.
He said 31 males and two females, ranging in age from 20s to 60s, were on the charter removal flight that left Dublin Airport at 12.30pm for Warsaw, Poland, before travelling on to Vilnius in Lithuania.
All of them had received jail sentences for a range of criminal offences, he said.
They were each the subject of removal orders made in line with the European Union free movement directive and were accompanied by gardaí, medical staff, two interpreters and a human rights observer. They are banned from re-entering the State for 10 years, Mr O’Callaghan said in a statement on Sunday evening.
In 2025 56 people were removed from Ireland under the directive, including 26 on commercial airlines and 23 on a charter operation to Romania. A further seven people removed themselves, the Minister said.
The operations are conducted in “close co-operation” with the Irish Prison Service and An Garda Síochána, he added.
Mr O’Callaghan said the right to freedom of movement within the EU is among the “most fundamental rights and freedoms” for European citizens.
Restricting that right is “not a measure I take lightly, but there must be consequences if a person’s behaviour means they should no longer be entitled to access this privilege”, he said.
“I will take action if our laws are not upheld and this includes enforcing removal orders for individuals who are a danger to society and to the people of Ireland.”
The Minister said it was important to remember that the majority of Polish and Lithuanian nationals in Ireland respected the laws and contributed positively to society.