A TOTAL of 43 people have been deported from Ireland on a chartered plane to Georgia.
All were Georgian nationals, the Irish Government has confirmed.
They included 33 men, seven women and three children who were part of a family group on board the flight
They were removed from the country under immigration orders issued by the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O’Callaghan.
“Deportations play an essential role in ensuring our immigration system is not undermined and that people follow the pathways already in place for legal migration,” Minister O’Callaghan said.
“They are also an important mechanism to provide the public with confidence that our systems are rules-based and robust.”
He added: “This is the sixth charter deportation operation this year and I want to thank members of An Garda Siochana and my officials for their continued work in conducting these complex and sensitive operations.
“I also want to acknowledge that the vast majority of Georgian nationals are legally resident in the State and positively contribute to Irish society.”
The flight departed Dublin Airport at 13.50pm on September 20 and landed in Tbilisi, Georgia at 18.40pm that day.
Those aboard were accompanied by members of An Garda Síochána, medical staff, an interpreter as well as an independent human rights observer.
The cost of chartering the aircraft for a return flight was €225,575.
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