Minister for Justice Michael McDowell rejected renewed appeals for the deportation of a Nigerian student to be overturned.
Five TDs raised the deportation of Olunkunle Eluhanla, a Leaving Certificate student at Palmerstown community school, who was flown to Lagos on March 15th with a group of Nigerians.
Mr McDowell said the student was 21 and not 19 when he was deported, that he had been afforded every opportunity and facility, and that his case had been treated with fairness. The Minister said: "Immigration control is not a theoretical matter, it must apply to real people."
He said Ireland could either "operate an open-door policy where anyone can come to Ireland without restrictions, or we can legislate for procedures to control who cannot reside in our country".
Labour's justice spokesman Joe Costello said it was a "cruel irony" that the deportation took place on the eve of St Patrick's Day when the Minister was out of the country. He also claimed that the young Nigerian was attacked and molested after he was released from prison where he was sent on arrival in Lagos, Nigeria.
John Curran (FF, Dublin Mid-West) said Irish people did not want an open-door policy but would like to see some sympathy and compassion shown. Mr Curran said "the State and department should have shown a duty of care but he was instead deported with no reference whatsoever to what might lie ahead of him, and a way could be found for him to return".
Ciarán Cuffe (Green, Dun Laoghaire) asked what was the point in "offering people like him good educational facilities and then denying him the opportunity to sit his exams".
