UP TO 900 failed asylum seekers have vanished in Ireland in the past two years, the first official figures from the gardaí have revealed.

Despite a large fall in the numbers of would-be refugees coming to Ireland, the numbers vanishing from the asylum process is rising.

In 2006, 376 failed asylum seekers were sought by gardaí for deportation, the Department of Justice said.

By 2007, that figure had risen to 506. Most were considered unlikely to be traced and the deportation rates for that year were low.

The 882 would-be refugees have been issued with 15-day letters obliging them to make contact with gardaí or leave the state.

A garda statement said records were not maintained by An Garda Síochána for the years 2003, 2004 and 2005.

The total number of illegal asylum seekers in the country who have been declined refugee status remains a mystery. Senior garda sources have estimated it could be anywhere between 6,000 to 7,000 people who have fallen through the cracks over the past decade. Many have left for other EU states such as the UK.

Gardaí said the security implications of 882 failed asylum seekers who have vanished are enormous.

"These are people who we have lost track of. They have opted out of the asylum system and are not claiming any state benefits," a senior garda said. "The potential for them to be taken advantage of or vice versa is a real issue."

The number of actual deportations being carried out has shown a marked decline, with 43 people returned to their home county in the first five months of this year – a six-fold decline on the 2004 figures, when 599 people were deported.