Courts / Ireland / Report

Judge critical of State's handling of deportation order against widow and daughter

Summary

In a High Court judgment, Mr Justice Max Barrett criticised the State's handling of a Pakistani widow and her minor daughter's application to reside in Ireland with their EU citizen uncle. The judge quashed deportation orders issued by the Minister for Justice in 2018, finding the Minister's decision unreasonable and legally flawed. The applicants had lived in Ireland since 2009, supported by the widow's UK‑based brother, a British citizen. In 2014 the uncle secured employment in Ireland and brought his niece and sister with him. The applicants applied under EU free‑movement rules, but the Minister refused in 2015 on the basis of insufficient evidence of dependency. After a review in 2017 the Minister denied the application again, and deportation orders followed. DNA tests, paid for by the applicants, confirmed all were blood relatives, yet the State did not reconsider the decision.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Judge critical of State's handling of deportation order against widow and daughter. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

• February 2017 Other
• 2020-07-22 Publication

Why: The judge said that the State had issued the deportation orders against the pair because it was dubious about the nature of the relationship between the mother and daughter and the EU citizen uncle/brother. CNI source report

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Hearing Or Decision

Read the original CNI report