Foreigners with false immigrant status to be deported
Members of Interior Ministry's 'immigration police' launch operation in south Israel against those with false immigrant status, revoked citizenship. 'It's a growing trend,' says Oz Unit southern district director
The Interior Ministry's special Oz Unit in charge of deporting illegal immigrants from Israel has recently started targeting those who have been granted immigrant status illegally or have become illegal aliens due to divorce, death of a partner. The operation is mainly focused in southern Israel while most of its targets are immigrants from the former Soviet Union.
The unit's southern intelligence coordinator Yossi Hadad said that some of the cases involved foreigners who associated themselves with Jewish families and paid them in order to assume their identities and make aliyah.
The fraud is usually uncovered years later when the real Jewish families wish to immigrate to Israel. In time, officials of the Interior Ministry learned of those immigrants who presented false identities.
The situation posed some dilemmas and conflicts since most of the immigrants have been residing in Israel for years and have already integrated within their communities often having children serving in the Israel Defense Forces. Some have had their citizenship revoked but would not leave the country.
'Growing trend'
An Oz Unit operation in Ashdod and Ashkelon this week attempted to trace addresses of women whose immigrant status had been revoked. One of the women had been residing in Israel for 10 years since her status has been revoked and continues to receive allowances.
"It's a growing trend in the south and the rest of the country," southern district director Ami Atiya said.
Arik Bokobza, a team head in the Oz Unit estimated that there are thousands of illegal immigrants who continue to receive allowances.
One example is an 82-year-old female resident of Ashdod who immigrated to Israel together with her son, 52. He was caught and admitted to using fraudulent means and false documentation to make aliyah. He has been issued with an expulsion order.
The mother makes for a more complex case being an elderly who may suffer from deportation.
The National Insurance Institute's Investigations Branch has begun collaborating with the Oz Unit in order to track illegal receivers of allowances. So far they revoked only a few allowances, however sources in the NII estimate that in time an increase will be noted.
Ilana Curiel contributed to this report
