Gannon criticises government for “photo op” deportation flight

Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon has accused the government of “wasting taxpayers money” on a deportation flight to Pakistan, where 79 Gardaí were on board but just 24 asylum seekers were on board.

“What we see here is not rigorous public policy; it is stunt-driven bureaucracy, wasting taxpayers’ money for the sake of a tough-on-immigration photo-op,” he said.

“Once again, the State has spent lavishly – not on housing or social supports – but on political theatre,” the Dublin Central TD said.

The operation also reportedly cost around €474,000, roughly €20,000 per person.

“I have consistently asked parliamentary questions and, during the Justice Committee, directly challenged the government on why they continue to insist on posting photos of these deportations.”

“Time and again, the only way to extract even the most basic information is through these questions and only after the Government has already staged the images for social media.”

“What we see here is not rigorous public policy; it is stunt-driven bureaucracy, wasting taxpayers’ money for the sake of a tough-on-immigration photo-op.”

Gannon said “it must be made abundantly clear that for most of the people on that flight, it was a story of lives lived in Ireland for years – families, homes, perhaps children in school. Yet they are being removed to create a spectacle no doubt intended for public consumption, not efficiency or justice.”

“This is part of a broader pattern: the recycling of government-issued images of deportations, the charters, the Garda staging, all of which point to a continued streak of performative cruelty rather than any serious plan for humane migration policy.”

“Instead of investing in social housing, integration supports, or fair asylum processing, we get this wasteful display: hundreds of thousands of euros spent on a half empty plane, for the sake of conservative optics.

“The public deserves transparency; the most vulnerable cohort in our society deserve dignity.

“This government’s showboating is not only morally bankrupt, it is a misuse of public funds at a time when people across Ireland are struggling with housing, inflation, and a lack of support. If we cannot muster the decency or the sense to treat human beings with respect, then we should at least stop wasting money just to prove a point.”