Ireland’s Department of Justice has confirmed that 25 convicted sex-offenders who did not have a lawful basis to remain in the State were removed from the country in the first 12 months of ‘Operation Moonridge’. The Garda National Immigration Bureau is running the intelligence-led operation, which targets non-Irish nationals convicted of serious sexual crimes and prioritises them for EU Removal Orders or ministerial deportation orders.
Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan said the programme is designed to restore public confidence in immigration enforcement: “A rules-based migration system means that if a person commits serious crime here, they will be caught and removed.” The Minister added that the success of the operation depends on deep data-sharing between specialist Garda units, the Sex-Offenders Management & Intelligence Unit and officials in his own department. Fourteen of those deported were nationals of non-EU countries, while 11 were EU citizens whose presence was deemed contrary to public policy; all 25 are now subject to exclusion orders preventing re-entry for a specified period.
Although deportations of serious criminals rarely intersect with routine corporate mobility, the development is important for relocation managers because it underlines the Irish Government’s intention to more actively police immigration compliance. Employers that sponsor work permits – particularly in sectors where staff work with minors or vulnerable adults – can expect closer vetting of criminal-record certificates and stricter monitoring of workers’ post-arrival conduct. HR teams are therefore advised to refresh their safeguarding guidance and ensure that internal reporting lines are clear if misconduct allegations arise.
![Ireland steps up deportations of foreign sex offenders under ‘Operation Moonridge’]()
For companies seeking hands-on help with these compliance demands, VisaHQ’s dedicated Ireland team (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) can streamline everything from securing the correct work-permit category and arranging police-clearance certificates to monitoring visa expiries, giving HR managers the tools they need to stay ahead of the State’s tougher enforcement regime.
For business travellers, the message is similarly clear: Ireland is tightening enforcement against any foreign national who breaches criminal law. Firms should emphasise to staff on assignment that criminal convictions (even for offences committed after arrival) can now trigger fast-track removals. Immigration advisers expect the next phase of the programme to focus on violent-crime convictions and to run in tandem with the forthcoming International Protection Bill 2026, which introduces a three-month ‘border procedure’ for certain asylum claims.
‘Operation Moonridge’ remains ongoing, and the Department of Justice has indicated that further removals are anticipated during 2026 as cases work their way through the appeals process.
Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan said the programme is designed to restore public confidence in immigration enforcement: “A rules-based migration system means that if a person commits serious crime here, they will be caught and removed.” The Minister added that the success of the operation depends on deep data-sharing between specialist Garda units, the Sex-Offenders Management & Intelligence Unit and officials in his own department. Fourteen of those deported were nationals of non-EU countries, while 11 were EU citizens whose presence was deemed contrary to public policy; all 25 are now subject to exclusion orders preventing re-entry for a specified period.
Although deportations of serious criminals rarely intersect with routine corporate mobility, the development is important for relocation managers because it underlines the Irish Government’s intention to more actively police immigration compliance. Employers that sponsor work permits – particularly in sectors where staff work with minors or vulnerable adults – can expect closer vetting of criminal-record certificates and stricter monitoring of workers’ post-arrival conduct. HR teams are therefore advised to refresh their safeguarding guidance and ensure that internal reporting lines are clear if misconduct allegations arise.
For companies seeking hands-on help with these compliance demands, VisaHQ’s dedicated Ireland team (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) can streamline everything from securing the correct work-permit category and arranging police-clearance certificates to monitoring visa expiries, giving HR managers the tools they need to stay ahead of the State’s tougher enforcement regime.
For business travellers, the message is similarly clear: Ireland is tightening enforcement against any foreign national who breaches criminal law. Firms should emphasise to staff on assignment that criminal convictions (even for offences committed after arrival) can now trigger fast-track removals. Immigration advisers expect the next phase of the programme to focus on violent-crime convictions and to run in tandem with the forthcoming International Protection Bill 2026, which introduces a three-month ‘border procedure’ for certain asylum claims.
‘Operation Moonridge’ remains ongoing, and the Department of Justice has indicated that further removals are anticipated during 2026 as cases work their way through the appeals process.
