Author
It should be noted that, in general, Ireland places very few protection applicants or migrants in immigration detention and data for the numbers of people detained who subsequently apply for international protection are not collated.
Protection applicants and immigrants who may be detained generally fall into six categories:
- Non-nationals who arrive in Ireland and are refused “leave to land” (see Access to the Territory);
- Protection applicants who are deemed to engage one of the categories of Section 20(1) IPA (see Grounds for Detention);
- Protection applicants subject to the Dublin Regulation;
- Non-nationals who cannot establish their identity;
- Non-nationals with outstanding deportation orders;
- Non-nationals awaiting trial for a criminal immigration-related offence(s).
According to data from the Irish Prison Service, throughout 2023, 28 applications for international protection were made from detention, however, the reasons for the applicant’s detention were not known.[1] Throughout 2024, there were 32 applications made from persons who were in prison at the time that they made an application, however, the reasons for their detention were not known.[2] Throughout 2025, 34 applications were made from persons who were in prison at the time of making an application. However, their reason for detention was not known.[3]
Furthermore, there are no specially designated detention centres for protection applicants and irregular migrants. Protection applicants are detained within the general prison population, at a Garda Síochána (police) station or another designated place of detention. Places of detention are set out in S.I. 666/2016 – International Protection Act 2015 (Places of Detention) Regulations 2016, which was amended by the Reception Conditions Regulations 2018 to designate places of detention as “Every Garda Síochána Station [and] Cloverhill Prison.”
Following the Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture’s 7th periodic visit report on Ireland, it was determined that steps ought to be taken to address the unsuitable practice of detaining in prison non-nationals for immigration-related offences.[4] In December 2021, it was announced that work had been completed on a new Block F in Cloverhill Remand Prison, which is intended to accommodate persons detained for immigration purposes and ensure that they are housed separately from prisoners on remand. Throughout the pandemic, Block F was repurposed as an isolation unit for prisoners who contracted COVID-19, to manage and control infection risk. It is intended that when the pandemic ends, Block F will revert to its original intended use. At the time of updating in January 2026, it remained unclear whether persons detained for immigration purposes were continuing to be accommodated with the general prison population.
Additionally, a purpose-built immigration facility was opened at Dublin Airport for use in circumstances where persons are refused leave to land. The facility houses the newly opened Dublin Airport Garda Station and the Garda National Immigration Bureau. The Garda station contains four single person cells and two additional detention rooms. Starting from May 2022, the facility was fully operational.[5]
The International Protection Bill 2026 introduces expanded statutory powers of detention in the context of Ireland’s implementation of the EU Migration and Asylum Pact. It is envisaged that detention will arise primarily during the screening phase, the border procedure, and the return process. Section 24 (Part 2) of the Bill provides for arrest and detention during screening in order to establish identity, assess admissibility, or address risks to public order.[6] Further powers of detention are established in Part 9, particularly ss.161-163, which permit detention following a return decision for the purposes of enforcing removal.[7] Additional provisions include ss.168-170, which permit detention or significant restrictions on freedom of movement under the return border procedure.[8] While the Bill states that detention must be lawful, necessary, proportionate, and used as a last resort, in line with EU law, these provisions represent a significant expansion of detention within the international protection system in Ireland and have raised extreme concerns regarding safeguards, judicial oversight, and the treatment of vulnerable persons, including children.
[1] International Protection Office, April 2024.
[2] International Protection Office, March 2025.
[3] International Protection Office, March 2026.
[4] Minister for Justice Helen McEntee, Response to Parliamentary Question No 485, 16 December 2021, available here.
[5] Department of Justice, ‘Minister McEntee Attends Official Opening of Dublin Airport Garda Station’, 6 May 2022, available here.
[6] International Protection Bill 2026, s.24, available here.
[7] ibid, ss.161-163.
[8] ibid, ss.168-170.