Pork sausages served to Muslim passengers on deportation flight

Muslim passengers being deported from Ireland to Pakistan were insensitively served pork sausages as part of a breakfast during their chartered flight.

A Government-appointed human rights monitor branded the meal choice "inappropriate" aboard the journey from Dublin to Islamabad transporting 24 men to the Muslim-majority nation.

The monitor's assessment noted "the quality of food was a low standard" and criticised the decision to include pork products for individuals travelling to an Islamic country – naturally defying the dietary practices of the religion.

Before the flight – which cost Irish taxpayers €473,000 – the men were detained overnight across three separate prisons, with two individuals classified as high-risk due to their criminal histories.

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Several migrants also raised concerns about police officers recording them on camera, while others reported their belongings had gone missing during the journey.

Despite the food controversy and other issues, the human rights monitor concluded the "overall" operation had been carried out humanely, with appropriate respect shown for the "rights and dignity of the returnees".

Following the monitor's report, Air Partner, the aviation company responsible for organising flights on behalf of the Irish government, revised its catering arrangements accordingly.

The Pakistan deportation formed one element of a broader removal programme undertaken by Irish authorities during 2025.

Three additional chartered flights transported individuals to Georgia, Nigeria and Romania respectively, bringing the combined expenditure on the nation's deportation operations to approximately €1.1million.

According to Ireland's Department of Justice, these four flights resulted in the removal of at least 205 people from the country, comprising both illegal immigrants and convicted criminals.

Irish immigration law permits asylum seekers to receive up to €10,000 if they agree to return home voluntarily, although those who refuse to comply with deportation orders face forcible removal via chartered aircraft.

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Britain's Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, is seeking to implement a similar measure to tackle immigration to the UK – offering incentive payments of up to £40,000 to migrant families to leave the country.

It comes as British taxpayers are forking out some £50,000 per migrant to house asylum seekers in hotels, army barracks, and other accommodation.

The success of the pilot scheme will determine the procedure going forward, with the Government suggesting incentive payments would save the taxpayer a sizeable sum when compared to housing migrants on UK soil.

Ireland's migrant issue is seemingly punishing the economy to a similar extent, with Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan indicating willingness to consider transferring unsuccessful asylum applicants to processing centres located outside the European Union.

Similar external hub arrangements have gained traction across Europe, with Italy investing up to €670million in Albanian processing facilities.

Britain is currently in discussions with North Macedonia regarding a potential returns agreement, following the abandonment of its Rwanda scheme last year.

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