Gardai will not ‘physically police’ Northern Ireland border

Gardai will not be assigned to physically police the border with Northern Ireland, the Irish Department of Justice has said.

The announcement comes after the department said its own expanding role in immigration registration duties will “free up” 100 gardai for frontline enforcement work, including deportations.

In a statement on Tuesday, the department later clarified that the work required to make the 100 gardai available for the frontline duties will take up to 12 months.

While it emphasised that the protection of an open border on the island of Ireland is a “key priority to the communities on both sides”, it said: “It is not the case that these Gardai will be assigned to physically police the border with Northern Ireland.”

Since January 2024, the department has taken on additional functions at Dublin Airport in respect of initial processing of international protection applicants.

This includes carrying out a preliminary interview and fingerprinting of applicants.

Since April 8, registration functions for first time in-person registration and online renewal of registrations of immigration residence permission for Meath, Kildare and Wicklow have also transferred to the Burgh Quay Registration Office of the department, which is already responsible for Dublin.

The department said it continues to engage with An Garda Siochana on the scope to transfer further immigration operations, including the nationwide responsibility of such registrations – expected to be “substantially completed” within 12 months.

A spokesman said: “This will free up to 100 gardai to focus on other core policing duties, which will include deportations and other aspects of immigration enforcement.”

In the Dail on Tuesday, Irish premier Simon Harris said Justice Minister Helen McEntee made the decision to “free up” the gardai “from desk jobs in immigration”.

He said the change will also involve the gardai “working more closely with the PSNI”.