23 Romanian nationals removed from Ireland by charter flight under the Freedom of Movement Directive
- Published on: 13 October 2025
- Last updated on: 13 October 2025
The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Jim O’Callaghan has today (Monday) announced the completion of a successful removal operation of 23 Romanian citizens on grounds of criminality.
Removal Orders were enforced against 23 men aged between 22 and 49 years. The group was removed from the State by charter flight this afternoon. All those removed had received custodial sentences for a range of offences.
These orders were made in accordance with the Free Movement Directive (Directive 2004/38/EC).
Re-entry bans of up to 10 years have been applied to prevent their return to Ireland.
The removal from the State of convicted criminals and those who are a danger to public safety are prioritised in consultation with An Garda Síochána and the Irish Prison Service. To date this year, 22 individuals have been removed from Ireland under the Directive on commercial airlines.
Today’s operation brings the number of removals under the Directive to 45.
Speaking on today’s operation Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Jim O’Callaghan said:
“The right to freedom of movement is among the most fundamental rights and freedoms provided to European citizens that we strive to protect. Securing this right for our citizens is one of the most important achievements of the European Union, offering people the opportunity to work, study and live in 31 European countries, and assuring their protections to do so.
“Restricting the right to freedom of movement 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. Action will be taken if our laws are not respected and upheld and this includes enforcing removal orders and sending people home.
“It is important to acknowledge that the vast majority of the Romanian community are law-abiding and hardworking people who make a positive contribution to Irish society.
"I want to thank the members of An Garda Síochána and my officials for their work in conducting today’s operation.”
Citizens of the European Union, European Economic Area and Switzerland and their qualifying family members have the right to move and reside within these territories under conditions provided in the Free Movement Directive.
The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration can issue an order to restrict these rights and expel a person on grounds of Public Policy, Public Security or Public Health.
These orders can be issued on specific, limited grounds based on the individual’s personal conduct and not general concerns. They require a detailed examination of the person’s individual circumstances including their length of residence and family ties in Ireland to ensure that the restriction of freedom of movement rights is appropriate and proportionate.
The people concerned were Romanian nationals and the charter flight left Dublin Airport on Monday at 14.25 and arrived in Bucharest this evening.
ENDS…///
Notes to Editor
Under the European Communities (Free Movement of Persons) Regulations 2015, which transposes the Free Movement Directive (Directive 2004/38/EC) into Irish law, the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration can issue orders for both the removal and exclusion of an EU citizen or their family member who represent a danger to public policy or public security. These orders can be made on the grounds that the individual’s personal conduct represents a genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat affecting one of the fundamental interests of society.
A removal order means the person must leave Ireland and if an exclusion order is made a re-entry ban can be imposed for a specified period of up to ten years.
The table below details the number of orders which have been made under the European Communities (Free Movement of Persons) Regulations 2015 in 2023, 2024 and 2025 to 13 October 2025 and the total number of people whose removal from the State was enforced by the Garda National Immigration Bureau.
|
Year |
2023 |
2024 |
2025* |
|
Orders Signed under the Directive |
19 |
24 |
99 |
|
Orders Enforced |
21 |
18 |
45 |
*13/10/2025
* Please note, figures are correct at time of issue, however, all statistics may be subject to data cleansing. An enforced order made have been signed in a previous year.
The returnees on this flight were accompanied by Garda personnel, medical staff, an interpreter and a human rights observer.
Charter flight services are provided by Air Partner Ltd under a contract entered into in November 2024. This contract was signed following a competitive and open procurement process. The costs for the provision of the aircraft for this operation are €69,475 for one way flight.
