More than 800 people who have been formally ordered to leave Ireland are still living in state-funded International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) centers, costing the taxpayer over half a million euros every week.
The figures, released this week by Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan, show that despite being issued with legal “deportation orders,” these individuals have not yet departed the state. The information was provided in response to a parliamentary question from Independent Ireland TD Ken O’Flynn, highlighting a significant bottleneck in the country’s immigration and return system.
According to the latest government audit, the average cost to house one person in an IPAS center has climbed to €99 per night. With more than 800 people subject to deportation orders currently in these facilities, the state is spending approximately €79,200 every night, or over €554,000 per week, to accommodate people who have no legal right to remain in the country.
This residency continues even as the IPAS system remains under extreme pressure, currently housing over 33,000 people, including 9,000 children. Critics argue that the presence of those with final deportation orders is depriving genuine asylum seekers of much-needed space.
Minister O’Callaghan explained that the situation is not always a simple case of refusal to leave. “The enforcement of an order can be suspended for several reasons,” the Minister stated. Common causes for delay include:
- Legal Challenges: Many individuals have launched judicial reviews in the High Court, which legally prevents the state from removing them until the case is settled.
- Health Grounds: Personal medical circumstances can sometimes lead to a temporary stay on deportation.
- Logistical Delays: Some individuals are in the middle of making their own travel arrangements to return home voluntarily.
The Department of Justice has seen a massive spike in activity over the last year. In 2025, the number of deportation orders signed hit a record 4,700. While the government prefers “voluntary returns”—where the state assists the person in leaving before an order is enforced—the numbers show that the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) is increasingly involved in forced removals.
In 2025, 2,111 people were confirmed to have left the state under various return pathways. However, because Ireland does not have routine exit checks at its borders, the Department admits it is difficult to know exactly how many people have left privately without notifying the authorities.
The news has drawn sharp criticism from opposition benches. TD Ken O’Flynn described the situation as a “failure of enforcement,” questioning why millions of euros are being spent on accommodation for those the state has already deemed ineligible for protection.
As the government moves toward a more “fast-track” processing system under the 2026 International Protection Bill, the pressure is mounting on the Department of Justice to ensure that “no” truly means “no,” and that those ordered to leave do so in a timely and cost-effective manner.
