Is there a Trump effect in Ireland's migration numbers?

Recently, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of people moving from the United States to Ireland. One well-known example is Rosie O'Donnell, a famous comedian and actress, who decided to relocate to Ireland after Donald Trump won the US presidential election in November 2024. According to official statistics, the number of people immigrating from the US to Ireland almost doubled in the past year. In the twelve months leading up to April this year, 9,600 people from the US moved to Ireland, compared to just 4,900 the previous year. This is a significant jump, especially since overall immigration to Ireland actually decreased by 16 percent during the same period.

While the total number of people moving to Ireland dropped, the number of Americans coming in rose by 96 percent. The reasons behind this increase are not entirely clear, as the motivations of each individual are unknown. Interestingly, more people from Ireland also moved to the US last year, with that number rising by 22 percent from 5,000 to 6,100.

Net immigration, which is the difference between the number of people arriving and those leaving, fell sharply. Just over 125,000 people came to live in Ireland in the past year, while 65,600 left. This means that net immigration was 59,700, much lower than the 79,300 recorded the previous year and 77,600 the year before that.

Immigration has become a major issue in Ireland, especially after the country accepted a large number of Ukrainian refugees. Between March and December 2022, nearly 68,000 people from Ukraine arrived in Ireland under the European Union's Temporary Protection Directive. This sudden influx put a lot of pressure on Ireland's resources, and the government had to take emergency measures, such as temporarily housing people in tents. Ireland was already facing a housing crisis before this increase in immigration, and the situation has become even more challenging.

In response, the country's centre-right coalition government has started to take a tougher stance on immigration. This includes increasing the number of deportations for people who do not have the right to stay in Ireland. Last month, Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan announced that his department is preparing a new immigration strategy. The goal is to make sure that the rules are fully enforced and that people who do not have permission to be in Ireland are returned to their home countries.

The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office show that 125,300 people immigrated to Ireland in the twelve months up to April 2025, which is a 16 percent decrease compared to the same period in 2024. This marks the fourth year in a row that more than 100,000 people have moved to Ireland. Of those immigrants, 31,500 were returning Irish citizens, 25,300 were citizens of other EU countries, and 4,900 were from the UK. The remaining 63,600 were citizens of other countries.

For the first time since 2020, the number of people leaving Ireland fell. In the past year, 65,600 people emigrated, which is 6 percent less than the 69,900 who left the previous year. This group included 35,000 Irish citizens, 10,500 other EU citizens, 2,700 UK citizens, and 17,400 citizens of other countries.

These changes in migration patterns are being closely watched in Ireland. The government is working on new policies to address the challenges caused by high levels of immigration and emigration. The country is trying to balance the need to help people in need, like refugees, with the need to manage resources and ensure that everyone has access to housing and other services. The debate over immigration is likely to continue as Ireland adapts to these new realities.