A series of scuffles occurred outside the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) headquarters in Dublin yesterday following the arrest for deportation of several asylum-seekers.
In one incident a Nigerian woman, Meriam Shaka, was speaking to a plainclothes garda when she became distressed and ran from the garda on to the road.
According to witnesses, the garda followed Ms Shaka, and a scuffle between the two resulted in Ms Shaka falling to the ground and losing her shoes.
She was then taken by the garda from the ground and on to the footpath.
Peter McCarthy (39), from Dublin, saw the incident from his office window.
"I heard a woman cry out and saw her run out into the road," he said.
He saw the scuffle where Ms Shaka lost her shoes and fell to the ground.
He also watched as the garda removed her from the roadway.
More gardaí then arrived and stood in a circle around the woman, who was sitting on the ground.
"I brought blankets and cushions, but the gardaí wouldn't let people close. She was sitting in a pool of water.
"The gardaí told passers-by she was there of her own choice," he said.
Ms Shaka was taken to Pearse Street Garda station, where she was served with a deportation order, according to the Garda press office.
She is due to be deported some time in November.
Two other altercations took place between gardaí and Residents Against Racism, who had organised a demonstration outside the GNIB headquarters to protest against the deportation of asylum-seekers.
Two members of Residents Against Racism were arrested.