Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan attends major border security summit
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From: Department of Justice
- Published on: 31 March 2025
- Last updated on: 1 April 2025
Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan has today (Monday) attended a major Border Security Summit attended by over 40 countries and hosted by the Prime Minister and Home Secretary of the United Kingdom, Sir Keir Starmer MP and the Right Honourable Yvette Cooper MP, in London.
The focus of the event is on Organised Immigration Crime and it brings together Ministers from a number of EU Member States and other European countries, as well as US, African, Asian and Middle Eastern representatives. Social media operators also attended. It aims to collectively determine the best ways to combat the criminal networks facilitating organised immigration crime and migrant smuggling, which represent a growing issue threatening to collective Border Security in Europe and globally.
Speaking after the event, Minister Jim O’Callaghan said:
“The coming together of so many countries, from Europe and beyond, for this Border Security Summit shows this importance we all place on tackling Organised Immigration Crime.
“Immigration crime to and within Europe is reaching new heights and the Irish Government is committed to stepping up our fight against the criminal networks who take advantage of often vulnerable migrants, in pursuit of profit, as well as strengthening our international partnerships with those who share this objective.
“The Summit provides a valuable opportunity for us to discuss, and agree, how to work together to tackle the organised criminal groups responsible for immigration crime.”
Organised Immigration Crime involves organised criminal groups exploiting vulnerable migrants by smuggling them across borders for profit. Smuggled migrants face extreme dangers that can lead to death by suffocation or drownings at sea.
The ‘Border Security Summit: Organised Immigration Crime’ is focusing on three main areas over two days:
- Supply Routes & Enablers – Discussion of equipment, infrastructure and fraudulent documents being used by organised crime groups
- Criminal Finances – Expanding the “follow the money” strategy globally to dismantle the financial incentives for organised crime
- Online Environment – Building global consensus on tackling organised crime groups’ recruitment and advertising online
Minister O’Callaghan restated the government’s commitment to fighting Organised Immigration Crime:
“It is clear that the criminal networks facilitating illegal migration are also deeply embedded in other forms of organised crime and are generating billions in illicit profits annually, financing further criminal activities.
“To effectively dismantle these networks, we have to be able to target the huge financial gains they are making, and to ensure at a national level we can do this, the Irish Government has recently approved draft legislation to significantly enhance the efficiency of our asset recovery system and reinforce our ability to combat organised crime effectively.
“By having robust and effective financial investigations, asset tracing and confiscation, and by fostering transparency, and enhancing cross-border collaboration, we can, and we will, strike at the heart of organised immigration crime.”