Children of foreign workers protest impending deportation

'Kids live in fear because they know they could be deported tomorrow,' says aid worker

Yael Branovsky

Published: 08.15.09, 21:40 / Israel News

A few dozen people protested in Tel Aviv Saturday evening against a government plan to deport foreign workers and their children from the country. Dozens of children were present, as well as foreign workers, aid organization volunteers, and civilians.

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Protestors held up signs saying: 'No child is illegal', 'Israeli child – Israeli citizenship', and 'One hand deports, the other brings in and manpower companies get rich'.

Rotem Ilan, of the Israeli Children Organization, told Ynet that the protest was intended to remind citizens of the government's decision to deport 1,200 children of foreign workers, which was recently postponed by three months.

"The children are living in fear because they know that if they weren't deported today, there's still a chance they could be deported tomorrow," she said. "We demand to normalize the children's status immediately."

Edwin, one of the founders of the organization, came to Israel 20 years ago from Liberia and has since had two children with his Nigerian wife, whom he met while in the country.

"I have no problem with the state deporting me but my children were born here and this is the only country they know," he said.

"The children speak only Hebrew and we don't have any other choice; we have to stay here."

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