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The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- The Irish Sun
‘Pupils ran out in tears' – Dublin school ‘devastated' after two ‘popular' school children deported to Nigeria
AN Irish school attended by two brothers who were among 35 people deported to Nigeria say they have been left "devastated" in the wake of the event. The two were part of a group made up of 21 men, nine women, and five 3 The deportations came as part of an ongoing Garda operation Credit: Alamy 3 The recent charter flight was the third of its kind this year Credit: alamy They were But principal of St James's Primary School in Ciaran Cronin told He opined that to "spring" deportations on children who thought they had an immigration appointment is "very cruel". READ MORE IN IRISH NEWS Cronin said other children had witnessed the two boys' belongings being packed up from their hotel rooms and put on a bus. He explained: "On Wednesday morning they all came to school completely distressed, upset, visibly shaken by what they had seen at the hotel in the morning. "They came to "We had been in touch with the mother for a long time, knowing that they were going through the deportation process." MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN Cronin added that the primary school had been advocating on the 32 people deported to Georgia from Ireland on chartered flight as Minister in 'robust & enforced' immigration laws vow He claimed that they had put in character references for the boys explaining that they wanted them to be let stay in the school. But, he explained: "On Wednesday morning, when the children came in, we kind of knew it's the end of the line for them, unfortunately." Cronin went on to say that the two boys were "really popular" in school. He said: "They were part of the football team. They played the Cumann na mBunscol "Had loads of friends and got on really well with everyone." He described the two children's deportation as "a huge loss" to the school. And he added that teachers had to explain to the other pupils in the school that the boys weren't coming back. 'THEY'VE LOST THEIR FRIENDS' He explained: "At home time yesterday pupils ran out in tears telling their "They've lost their friends, they're looking to see if they have their WhatsApp, that they can contact them, and they haven't been able to make contact with them since." He told RTE's "This cannot happen again. All of this can be done better." The National Immigration Bureau confirmed yesterday that it continues to work with the Department of Justice on enforcing immigration policy. 'CLEAR MESSAGE' A spokesperson for the force said: "An Garda Siochana continues to work closely with the Department of Justice in implementing immigration policy." The Justice Department had previously said that they carry out deportations as a "last resort" when people have not left the country voluntarily. Minister for Justice He said: "Ireland has a rules-based immigration system. It is important that those rules are robust and enforced. "The return of people whose applications have been refused and deportation orders have issued is the foundation of any modern rules-based immigration process. "People coming to Ireland must follow the appropriate pathways for legal migration and these pathways must be adhered to and protected for our immigration system to work fairly and effectively. "If a person's application for international protection is refused and they are ordered to leave the State they must do so." 3 The principal of St James' Primary School called the event "a huge loss" Credit: Google
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- RTÉ News
Principal says children distressed after 'two really popular boys' deported
Two brothers who were among 35 people deported from Ireland this week were described as "really popular" and fully integrated into their Dublin primary school. Principal of St James's Primary School Ciaran Cronin said the boys' mother had an immigration appointment scheduled for next month. "So, for this to be sprung on them, if they thought that they were awaiting a further appointment with immigration, that's a very cruel way to do things to children," he said. Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Cronin said other children who lived in the same facility as the boys saw them and their mother being removed ahead of the deportation flight to Nigeria. "On Wednesday morning they all came to school completely distressed, upset, visibly shaken by what they had seen at the hotel in the morning. And they had watched as the family's stuff was packed up out of their hotel rooms and they were put on to a minibus to be taken away. "They came to school then to tell us that. That's how we found out what was happening. We had been in touch with the mother for a long time, knowing that they were going through the deportation process. But we were trying to advocate on their behalf, put in character references to say how lovely the children are and how much we want to keep them here in the school. "But on Wednesday morning, when the children came in, we kind of knew it's the end of the line for them, unfortunately," Mr Cronin said. He described the brothers as "two really popular boys" with loads of friends. "They were part of the football team. They played the Cumann na mBunscol GAA tournament the last two years, two really popular boys, had loads of friends and got on really well with everyone and they're just such a huge loss to the school. Such a huge loss," he said. Mr Cronin said that in March 2022, 32 children living in the Red Cow Hotel were enrolled in the school. Many were later moved to different accommodations around the country, but 14 were still attending St James's Primary School. He said that yesterday the teachers explained to the other children that their friends were gone and were not coming back. "At home time yesterday pupils ran out in tears telling their parents that they're gone. And that's the impact that it's having. "They've lost their friends, they're looking to see if they have their WhatsApp, if they're online, on their WhatsApp that they can contact them, that kind of stuff, and they haven't been able to make contact with them since. "So, the children are so upset, but also for the children who are living in the Red Cow, they're all terrified because they think it might be them next." Mr Cronin said as educators they have been told to "do things in a trauma informed way and be careful how you speak to children who've been through traumatic situations", but said it "just feels that this wasn't handled in that way at all." He said that changing the system to speed up the process to prevent children being in schools for years before a decision is made will not make the children in his school "feel any better about what's happened to their friends".
