The Garda operation in Dublin to arrest illegal immigrants and people against whom deportation orders have been served will spread to the rest of the State in coming months.
More than 200 officers, led by the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB), visited 100 addresses in the capital yesterday. They arrested 10 people for whom deportation orders have been signed, and another 36 people who are here illegally.
The Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell last night denied the operation was part of a new getough policy. "Laws are already in place and resources are being deployed to enforce the law," he said.
Mr McDowell said eight out of 10 of the foreign faces we see on our streets are here perfectly legally and people should not regard foreigners as illegal immigrants because of the colour of their skin.
About 2,600 deportation orders have been signed and the majority of those people are thought to be still living here.
Official estimates suggest that so far the cost of handling the immigration issue, excluding social welfare payments, has risen to about €240 million.
Some of those arrested may be deported quickly. However, it is understood that four of the 10 people facing deportation orders are the parents of children born since arriving in the State. As the children have resident status, it is not thought their parents will be deported in the immediate future. Under UN rules it is illegal to separate parents from children in such situations.
Garda sources said it is likely that the six parentless people against whom deportation orders have been signed will be held in custody until they are flown back to their home countries. Some of the 36 people here without official papers may be eligible to apply for asylum and may be released.
The number of deportation orders is increasing substantially. Up to June 2000 only 30 deportations had taken place. Since then there have been a further 900. The total for last year of 370 deportations may be exceeded by the end of this month. Garda sources say that immigrants are still arriving in large numbers, mainly from EU accession states in eastern Europe and Nigeria.
Up to 350 Nigerians are arriving each month. Pregnant Nigerian women are still arriving to give birth to children who will then have citizenship status.
The other main category are economic immigrants from impoverished countries like Romania, Poland, the Czech Republic and Moldova. Increasing numbers of Chinese are also arriving.
The Government's efforts to tackle the issue of illegal immigration will this year involve the expansion of the GNIB from 100 to 300 gardaí.
The immigration-handling sections within the Department of Justice have increased staff from 30 only a few years ago to 450.
Many of the Nigerian and eastern European immigrants reach Ireland after paying money to organised criminals based in France and the Netherlands, where human trafficking is said to be the second largest area of organised crime after drugs.
The Government is expected to introduce carriers liability. A Bill which will provide for the imposition of stiff fines on people found illegally bringing immigrants to this State has had its second reading and is going on to the committee stage in the Seanad.
Yesterday's operation, led by Chief Supt Martin Donnellan, head of the GNIB, involved uniformed gardaí from each of the five Dublin divisions.
The operation is expected to be repeated again in the coming months and smaller operations are to take place in centres around the State, under GNIB direction.