Independent TD Carol Nolan has said she believes there is widespread public support for the automatic deportation of non-nationals found guilty of violent crimes upon conclusion of custodial sentences handed down to them by the Irish courts.
This, the Offaly TD says, would include those who enter through the International Protection system.
Deputy Nolan raised the issue with Jack Chambers, the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, in the Dáil on Wednesday.
Her remarks come amid growing calls from a number of TDs and public representatives to deport convicted killer Josef Puska once he has completed his term of imprisonment for the brutal murder of Ashling Murphy in Tullamore.
“I put it to the Minister that under our current immigration laws it is explicitly allowable for deportation orders to be made in cases of persons with criminal convictions, particularly serious or violent ones,” said Deputy Nolan.
“This includes provisions such as those outlined in the Immigration Act 1999 where the Minister for Justice may sign a deportation order against a person who has served (or is serving) a term of imprisonment imposed by an Irish court.
“What I am saying therefore is that we urgently need a far greater level of deportation enforcement on those grounds, particularly as additional considerations when deciding on a deportation order can include factors like the person’s criminal, character, conduct, and whether their presence poses a threat to public safety or the common good.
“That certainly applies to Mr Puska and indeed his associates who were convicted of attempting to shield him from justice.
“In light of this I asked the minister if he would agree with me that non-nationals who come here and commit barbaric acts of savagery against young women such as happened in Tullamore my own constituency, should be on the next plane out of here once they complete their prison term.
“Ideally they should be spending their jail time in their own country and not here at the taxpayers expense.
“Is it not high time that we stopped catering, and indeed pandering to these peoples so-called rights and instead begin to radically and forcefully implement the laws that we have on our statute books; laws specifically designed to protect our own people from high-risk individuals,” concluded Deputy Nolan.
Minister Chambers responded by stating that the removal of dangerous criminals in such circumstances remains a priority for the minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan.
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