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No fewer than 42 South African nationals, who were living in Ireland illegally, have been deported back to Johannesburg, and arrived on Saturday in a chartered flight.
The deportees included nine men, 18 women, and 15 children. The children were deported as part of their family units. They departed from Dublin Airport on Saturday afternoon and landed in South Africa on Sunday morning.
According to reports from The Irish Times on June 19, 2026, two of the individuals included in the deportation group held criminal convictions in Ireland.
Ireland’s Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan, addressed the situation, noting that the vast majority of South Africans residing in the country do so legally.
Read Also: President Trump Mandates ICE To Be Renamed ‘NICE’
He emphasised that the Irish immigration system must remain “rules-based and robust”.
He further explained that enforcement actions, including deportations, are deemed essential by the government to ensure the system functions effectively and to maintain public confidence in existing immigration laws.
Earlier, the Government of Ireland announced new visa requirements.
The updated rules mandate that citizens from specific global regions must secure entry documents before arrival.
Under the new directive, nationals of Saint Lucia, Nicaragua, and Saint Kitts and Nevis will be required to obtain a visa before travelling to Ireland. This major immigration adjustment took effect on June 15, 2026
US President Donald Trump has suggested renaming the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency to “NICE” by adding the letter “N” for “National,” saying the change would confuse critics in the media and among Democratic Party opponents.
In a post shared on his official X handle on Saturday, Trump launched a poll on the proposal while defending the agency and criticising its portrayal in the media.
“POLL: ICE has been abused by the Fake News Media at levels never seen before. They are Great Patriots who work hard and do a fantastic job in a very hostile environment,” he wrote.
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He added that “Much of this hostility is caused by the Dumocrats and the Fake News,” while outlining his idea to rebrand the agency.
“The concept I have had for quite some time — A strong feeling that the name of these Patriots, ‘ICE,’ should be changed to ‘NICE,’ in that it will totally discombobulate crooked, dishonest, and unpatriotic reporters and journalists,” he said.
Explaining further, Trump argued that journalists would be forced to use positive-sounding language when reporting on immigration enforcement activities if the change is adopted.
“For them to say, ‘We went to a NICE Facility today,’ as opposed to ‘ICE’ or ‘NICE Agents have deported a violent drug dealer,’ they won’t be able to handle it, they will go totally crazy!” he said, adding that the change would involve “just adding an ‘N’ (‘National’) to ‘ICE’ (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), a much more prestigious name.”
Trump acknowledged that the idea has met some resistance within the agency’s leadership, noting comments attributed to former acting ICE Director Tom Homan.
He said while “everyone loves it,” Homan had indicated that “the Agents do not love it as much as the other population.”
The president ended his post by inviting public reaction, asking, “Who thinks that we should add an ‘N’ to change the name of ‘ICE’ to ‘NICE?’ Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DJT.”
The proposal comes amid continuing debates in the United States over immigration enforcement, with ICE often drawing support from conservatives for its deportation operations and criticism from opponents who accuse it of excessive tactics.
Trump has consistently defended the agency and positioned it as central to his immigration policy agenda.
