Rural Ireland Thinks: Nine in 10 favour deportation of foreign-born criminals

Rural Ireland Thinks: Nine in 10 favour deportation of foreign-born criminals 89% of those surveyed for the Irish Examiner/Ipsos B&A poll believe foreign people convicted of a crime should be deported Mon, 14 Sep, 2026 – 06:10Paul Hosford    

Nearly nine in 10 people in rural Ireland believe that foreign nationals convicted of crimes should be deported, a survey indicates.

The findings, part of the Irish Examiner/Ipsos B&A Rural Ireland Thinks survey, show that 89% of people believe that if a foreign national is convicted of a crime here, they should be deported.

In a recent parliamentary question response, justice minister Jim O’Callaghan said that orders can be made for both the removal and exclusion of citizens of the EU and European Economic Area, who “represent a danger to public policy or public security”.

Mr O’Callaghan provided figures to Fine Gael TD John Clendennen showing that 47 such removals had taken place in 2021, 50 in 2022, 36 in 2023, and 41 in 2024 — but the number had risen significantly to 132 last year, and is already at 149 in 2026.

The Rural Ireland Thinks survey, carried out at the start of this month, also shows strong support for the Government’s toughening of immigration laws.

In total, some 77% of respondents said that they support the International Protection Bill, which requires applicants arriving in the State to undergo identity and security checks, while biometric data is collected through a system called Eurodac.

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However, just 23% say they believe the Government is doing a good job in managing the number of asylum seekers who come to Ireland.

In that category, 50% of people surveyed strongly disagree that the Government is doing a good job.

Six in 10 say immigration is good for Ireland

Six in 10 people agreed that immigration is good for the Irish economy, while 54% said that people who come from other places “generally contribute positively” to Ireland.

Older adults in Ireland are significantly more supportive of tougher immigration and asylum policies, according to the data.

The survey of 506 people shows that, while 77% support the International Protection Bill to toughen the laws here, support rises sharply with age, from 63% among 18- to 24-year-olds to 84% among those aged 65 and over.

There is also strong backing for deporting foreign nationals convicted of crimes, with 89% agreeing overall.

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Support is highest among people aged 50-64 at 94%, compared with 81% among 18-24s.

However, attitudes are more divided on the wider economic and social impact of immigration.

Overall, 60% of those surveyed believe immigration benefits the Irish economy, but this rises to 65% among typically ‘middle class’ social groups, compared with just 50% among more traditional working class groups.

Men are also more positive than women about the benefits of immigration, at 67% versus 53%.

The biggest age divide concerns Government policy: 51% of over-65s support paying more to encourage refugees to return home, compared with just 26% of 18- to 24-year-olds.

Meanwhile, only 23% of people believe the Government is doing a good job handling asylum-seeker numbers, although approval rises to 35% among over-65s.

Changes to citizenship rules

The poll comes as the Government seeks to tighten rules around Irish citizenship.

Under laws brought to Cabinet last week by Mr O’Callaghan, applicants will have to prove they can speak English or Irish proficiently as part of the “biggest reform of Ireland’s citizenship rules in a generation”.

The proposed legislation will also increase the length of time a person must live in Ireland to be eligible for citizenship from five years to eight years.

A person seeking citizenship must also demonstrate a “knowledge and understanding of Irish civics”, including society and politics, to a certain standard.

The legislation will be applied retrospectively to migrants already living in Ireland who have yet to submit a citizenship application.

The new rules will fall under the Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2026.

A Government statement last week said the changes, much criticised by opposition parties, “reflects the Government’s policy that Irish citizenship by naturalisation is an earned privilege and the culmination of sustained lawful residence, economic self-sufficiency, social integration, civic participation and compliance with immigration law, rather than merely the passage of time”.

This report was funded by the News Reporting Scheme

Paul Hosford, Deputy Political Editor

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