Israel deports Nigerian couple and their baby
Days after Yishai delays deportation of foreign workers' children who attend Israeli schools, aid groups say migrant couple, their infant girl expelled from country after three days at detention center. Meretz MK: Inhumane act
Organizations that assist foreign workers in Israel said Monday that a Nigerian family was deported this week.
According to the organizations, a Nigerian couple and their infant daughter were held at a detention center in Ben-Gurion Airport for three days and then expelled from the country. The organizations fear the incident may have marked the beginning of the mass deportation of some 200 children of migrant workers.
Just a few days ago Interior Minister Eli Yishai instructed the Population, Immigration and Border Authority to postpone by several months the deportation of foreign workers' children who attend Israeli schools, such as the Bialik-Rogozin School whose students starred in the Oscar-winning short documentary "Strangers No More."
Minister Yishai said, "Upon the completion of all necessary preparations, out of utmost care, I have instructed that enforcement pertaining to families with kids who attend Israeli educational establishments will be postponed for several months and focus at this stage on families with kids who do not meet the government's standards."
Knesset Member Ilan Ghilon of Meretz called the deportation of the Nigerian family "inhumane," saying "no other western country deports children who were born in it.
"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is responsible and he can continue to hide behind Yishai, the deputy prime minister for racist affairs," the MK added.
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