A significant number of foreign nationals working in Ireland have used false EU identity papers to obtain RSI numbers, according to ?????????????????????i from the Garda National Immigration Bureau.
The bureau's head, Det Chief Supt Martin Donnellan, said 100 forged Portuguese national identity cards were found recently in a house in Dublin. The cards, which contained spaces for a fingerprint and a photograph to be attached, were about to be sent to Romania with instructions on how to fill them in, he added.
In another recent search, gardai recovered fake Irish immigration stamp machines. "We suspect people were stamping pass ports with the stamps and posting them back to Romania so others could come in without being stopped at immigration," said Det Chief Supt Donnellan.
Det Insp John O'Driscoll, who is in charge of operational matters with the bureau, said the Portuguese documents were not used to gain entry to the State illegally, but to find employment.
"We are satisfied that a significant number of foreign nationals use false or forged IDs to obtain RSI numbers so they can get jobs," he said. Forged Italian and French identity cards had also been seized, as well as stolen EU passports, he added.
The Garda National Immigration Bureau was set up last June, with a staff of 37 including four sergeants, two detective inspectors and a detective superintendent. Det Chief Supt Donnellan said it would have permanent liaison officers in Paris and London within two weeks to help build up intelligence on people trafficking illegal immigrants into the State.
He said forged and false documents were the "lifeblood" of traffickers on which the bureau was building intelligence.
The bureau is also responsible for deporting failed asylum-seekers. Since last November it has deported 135 of the 500 failed asylum-seekers against whom deportation orders have been made.
Det Chief Supt Donnellan said deportations would increase as the backlog of asylum cases was sorted. While this might necessitate staff increases, he ruled out large "round-ups" of deportees.
Deportations were labour-intensive as the deportees had to be escorted on non-direct outbound flights by gardai, he said. Private security firms were employed for this task in Britain.
Det Chief Supt Donnellan said progress had been made in discussions with officials from the Nigerian embassy to overcome difficulties which had prevented them deporting failed Nigerian asylum-seekers.
According to Det Chief Supt Donnellan, the bureau was gradually building up an intelligence base. "We will try to enforce deportations on as humane and even-handed a basis as possible. We are dealing with human beings here," he said.
He said a substantial number of illegal immigrants were entering the State from the North, and the bureau had met senior officers from the British immigration services to deal with this at source.
People found trafficking illegal immigrants into the State can be imprisoned for up to 10 years or face an unlimited fine. Gardai can also seize and forfeit vehicles used by traffickers.