Below is the reply from the Minister received 9th August 2023, which is following on from my original correspondence found here - https://www.iancroft.com/articles/1745530_email-to-ministers-mcentee-and-martin-re-securing-irish-borders-to-prevent-illegal-entries-and-safeguard-state-security
Minister’s Reference: DJE-MO-06270-2023
Dear Mr. Croft,
Thank you for your correspondence to the Minister of Justice, Ms. Helen McEntee T.D. I am responding to you on behalf of the Minister.
The State has a duty to protect its borders and to ensure that all arriving passengers are entitled to enter the State. This is a fundamental exercise of State sovereignty, which is necessary to protect the security of the State and to prevent illegal immigration.
Under Section 11 of the Immigration Act 2004, any person entering the State at Dublin Airport or at any other port of entry, must be in possession of a valid passport or other equivalent document, issued by or on behalf of an authority recognised by the Government, which establishes his or her identity and nationality to the satisfaction of an Immigration Officer.
The Border Management Unit (BMU) of this Department has responsibility for frontline immigration duties at Dublin Airport only. An Garda Síochána has responsibility for frontline immigration controls at all other airports and ports. Immigration officials conduct passport checks on arrival to ensure passengers are properly documented in accordance with Section 11 of the Immigration Act 2004 and eGates are used as part of that function.
The establishment of an applicant’s identity and nationality is an important feature of every immigration process. Every person that enters the State will go through a Schengen Information System (SIS) check. SIS II is a centralised secure database used by European countries for maintaining information (alerts) related to border security and law enforcement. The integration of SIS II into national systems means that automatic alerts are generated in real-time in instances where, for example, a Garda member or Immigration Officer encounters a person who is wanted or has been involved in a serious crime in another jurisdiction. Any data collected is stored and is available to the appropriate authorities where further clarifications/ investigations are necessary.
For security reasons and to protect the integrity of the immigration system, the Department does not comment on BMU detailed operational procedures.
I trust this information is of assistance.
Yours sincerely,
Private Secretary to the
Minister for Justice
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