Cabinet Committees
Dail Éireann — 2025-11-12
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Richard Boyd Barrett (PBP), Dún Laoghaire

I want to draw the Taoiseach's attention to the human consequences of the Government bending to the far-right groups that are screaming for mass deportations. Bilal Butt has been here for 19 years. For the past 15 years - as long as he was allowed - he has been working and paying tax. I know him personally, and he is a lovely man. He is married with two kids. One daughter is ten and his other child is three months old. The children have lived here all their lives. Recently, Mr. Butt was incarcerated for 50 days and is the subject of a deportation order. He has a heart condition and had to have a number of stents inserted. His wife is absolutely beside herself with fear that he is going to have a heart attack. His employer is very supportive - and even supported him while he was in prison - but cannot re-employ him, obviously, because he is subject to a deportation order.
What is the good, or where is the humanity, in deporting this man, separating him from his children and imposing that level of stress when he has been contributing, paying tax and is a decent human being? It is absolutely cruel. Will the Taoiseach look into this matter? I have written to the Minister for Justice and his Department about it.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2025-11-12/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-21T01:01:05+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-11-12