The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O’Callaghan, announced the completion of a removal operation involving 23 Romanian nationals on grounds of criminality. All individuals, aged between 22 and 49, had received custodial sentences for various offences and were removed from Ireland by charter flight in accordance with the Free Movement Directive (Directive 2004/38/EC). Re-entry bans of up to 10 years were applied to prevent their return.
The operation reflects Ireland’s priority of removing convicted criminals and individuals deemed a threat to public safety, in coordination with An Garda Síochána and the Irish Prison Service. This year, 22 individuals have been removed under the Directive via commercial flights, bringing the total number of removals under this mechanism to 45.
Minister O’Callaghan emphasized that while freedom of movement is a fundamental European right, it can be restricted when individuals’ conduct violates Irish law. He highlighted that such actions are taken carefully, considering each person’s circumstances, and noted that the majority of the Romanian community in Ireland are law-abiding citizens contributing positively to society.
The removed Romanian nationals departed Dublin Airport at 14:25 on Monday and arrived in Bucharest later the same evening. The Minister also acknowledged the work of An Garda Síochána and his officials in executing the operation, underlining that freedom of movement rights may be limited only on specific grounds related to public policy, security, or health, following a detailed assessment of the individual’s circumstances.
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