Unionist concern after report that 16,000 asylum seekers arrived in Dublin Airport without passports
Unionists have expressed concern after reports that more than 16,000 people arrived at Dublin Airport without passports since 2020.
One theory is that some travellers board flights with valid passports before destroying them during the journey.
It is also reported that 9,142 deportation orders were signed by Irish justice ministers between 2020 and 2025, but that only 969 people were deported.
Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín said the figures were “absolutely shocking”. He said only one Irish airline takes copies of travel documents from people as they board flights for Dublin but that it should be compulsory.
The News Letter has invited the Irish Department of Justice to comment on the figures, first reported by the Irish Daily Mail.
However in 2023, then Justice Minister Helen McEntee published almost identical figures, saying 16,000 people had arrived at Dublin Airport between 2019 and 2023 with no documentation or false documentation.
The latest figures come after Irish Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan told RTE recently that it was “indisputable” that the majority of people who apply for asylum in the Republic are not eligible for it.
DUP leader Gavin Robinson said: "When I had the opportunity to question Border Force officials at the joint Home Affairs and NI Affairs Committee in Parliament, they confirmed that they were aware of people landing in the Republic and being directed to travel to Northern Ireland to present themselves for asylum claims within the United Kingdom.
"The truth is that we have no way of knowing how many of those 16,000 people who landed in Dublin Airport without a passport subsequently travelled to Northern Ireland. It underscores not just the need for Border Force to know what powers they have in terms of immigration checks on buses crossing the border into Northern Ireland, but to start using them."
UUP leader Jon Burrows said the figures, if accurate, "raise serious questions that require urgent answers" from both governments.
He added: "Given the operation of the Common Travel Area and the open land border on the island of Ireland, the public deserves to know what assessment has been made of any onward movement into Northern Ireland and what information is being shared between the relevant authorities."
The UUP supports a compassionate asylum system for those genuinely fleeing persecution, he added.
TUV MLA Timothy Gaston said the figures were "simply outrageous".
He added: "How on earth can over 16,000 people make it to Dublin without passports? Quite apart from checks by airport staff, airlines should be checking that people can legally travel before they ever set foot on an aircraft.
"With such a situation in the South, it is more pressing than ever that we introduce serious border controls between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.”
An Irish Department of Justice spokesman told the Irish Daily Mail it was a "central priority" that the Irish immigration system is robust and rules-based.
"The department and An Garda Síochána are working with airlines on a range of measures to ensure passengers have the required documentation when boarding," he said.
The department’s Border Management Unit and Garda have an ongoing intelligence-led programme at airplanes to detect passengers who destroyed documents in fligh, he added.
The News Letter has invited the Irish Department of Justice to comment.