The Department of Justice anticipated it would need a €15 million war chest to fight legal challenges next year from failed asylum seekers and those facing deportation.
In internal discussions, the International Protection Office (IPO) said “exceptionally high levels of litigation” could be expected as they dramatically speed up the time it takes to deal with applications for refugee status.
The IPO said the higher number of negative decisions and deportations would inevitably lead to a surge in judicial reviews.
As part of pre-budget submissions, the office said removing failed asylum seekers from the State more quickly was critical because it would stop people from “accumulating more rights.”
It claimed this would make their deportation easier, reduce accommodation costs, and discourage people from coming to Ireland in the first place.
The submission said: “The faster that final decisions can be made on an individual international protection application, the easier it is for a removal to take place.
“Additionally, the perception of lengthy processing times in the system may attract additional applications.”
The pre-budget papers said the expected increase in refusals would have a domino effect across the entire asylum system, including the appeals body IPAT and in the courts.
In an email, Richard Dixon – the Chief International Protection Officer – told colleagues a failure to adequately fund the asylum system would reduce their ability to manage applications.
He said it would lead to increased costs in the delivery of accommodation, social welfare, and other entitlements for asylum seekers.
Mr Dixon warned as well of “increased risk regarding judicial reviews and other legal costs.”
His email concluded: “Any reduction in capacity runs the risk of reducing public confidence in the integrity of the immigration system.”