Forty-two South African nationals living illegally in Ireland have been deported at an initial cost to the State of €735,000. The nine men, 18 women and 15 children left Dublin Airport on a chartered flight on Thursday afternoon, arriving in South Africa on Friday morning. The children are all part of family groups. The individuals were removed from the State on foot of deportation orders by the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB). A deportation order is issued if an individual is deemed to be living illegally in the State and does not take up an option for voluntary return to their home country. Two of those deported had criminal convictions in Ireland. South Africa is considered a safe country by the State, but people from the country can apply for asylum in Ireland if they can provide documentary proof that they are unsafe. Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan stressed that most South Africans living in Ireland were doing so legally. “Our immigration system must be rules-based and robust,” he added “The enforcement aspects of our laws, including deportation orders, are an essential requirement for the system to work effectively and to ensure there is public confidence in the application of our legislation in this area.”He said the €735,000 figure for the cost of Thursday’s mass deportation was an initial one and that the full costs would not be available until the invoicing process has been completed.Thursday’s deportation charter flight was the fourth to date in 2026. Three previous operations saw 130 people deported from the State, including 67 EU citizens on grounds of criminality, O’Callaghan said.There were six charter operations conducted last year which saw the removal of 205 people from the State, comprising of 182 people who were subject to deportation orders and 23 EU nationals. [ South Africa struggles to stop anti-immigrant violenceOpens in new window ]In 2025, 4,700 deportation orders were signed, an increase of 96 per cent compared with 2024. To date this year 2,108 deportation orders have been signed.In 2024, 1,122 people departed from the State mostly through enforced deportation or voluntary return, rising to 2,111 last year. In the year to date 1,034 people have left the State through these mechanisms.[ Arrests of deportees intensify overcrowding in Irish prisonsOpens in new window ]In 2024, the number of voluntary returns stood at 934. That increased to 1,616 people last year and stands at 712 people this year.