The practice has already been in place on a small scale, a senior source in government told the Examiner. The source said this practice is set to increase.

Currently, Gardaí are meeting incoming passengers immediately on arrival to examine their backgrounds and documents, while the Government have been issuing fines of €1,500 to airlines who do not adequately check passenger documents. The government are considering upping this figure.

Minister Simon Harris told the Examiner as a standard part of Ireland’s migration system and affirmed that airlines have a legal responsibility to ensure all passengers are properly processed.

“Ireland is a country that wants to welcome migrants, people coming here fleeing persecution; we’re also a country that needs people to come here and work,” the Minister told the Examiner.

“But my job as minister for justice simply is to make sure that we have a rules-based system that is fair, efficient, and effective.

“We are working to make sure applications are accelerated more quickly.

“If you come to our country and you have a right for protection, you will get that certainty. But if you come to our country illegally, you get asked to leave.”