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<\/a><\/p>\nThe group, made up of 22 Polish nationals and 12 Lithuanian nationals, were removed from the State on grounds of criminality. All 34 individuals were men, ranging in age from their 20s to their 60s, and had received custodial sentences for various criminal offences.<\/p>\n
Removal Orders were enforced under the Free Movement Directive, with re-entry bans of up to 10 years imposed in order to prevent their return to Ireland.<\/p>\n
The charter flight departed Dublin Airport today, Sunday 24th May 2026. It landed first in Warsaw, Poland, at approximately 3:45pm Irish time, before continuing to Vilnius, Lithuania, where it arrived at approximately 5:50pm Irish time.<\/p>\n
This latest operation brings the total number of people removed under the Free Movement Directive in 2026 to 88. By comparison, 56 individuals were removed under the Directive during all of 2025.<\/p>\n
The operation was carried out in close cooperation with An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na and the Irish Prison Service. Garda personnel, medical staff, interpreters and a human rights observer accompanied those removed on the flight.<\/p>\n
Including this operation, three charter flights have taken place so far in 2026, resulting in the removal of 130 people from the State. Of these, 67 were EU citizens removed on grounds of criminality.<\/p>\n
Under Irish and EU law, EU, EEA and Swiss citizens have the right to move and reside freely across member states. However, the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration may issue removal and exclusion orders where an individual is deemed to pose a genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat to public policy, public security or public health.<\/p>\n