New 'Infiltrator Prevention Bill' to cost State NIS 440 million
Millions set aside for establishment of new 'open prison' for asylum seekers, in State's bid to circumnavigate High Court ruling. NIS 75 million to be allocated for personal security of residents in cities with 'high concentration of infiltrators'
The price was revealed in the proposal which will be brought before the government for confirmation during its Sunday meeting. It has the support of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Interior Minister Gideon Sa'ar and Interior Security Minister Itzhak Aharonovich.
Related stories:
- New infiltrator bill: Detention period significantly shortened
- Released asylum seekers banned from working in TA, Eilat
- State to build 'open' jail for migrants
Last September, in a rare use of legal power, the High Court unanimously shot down an amendment to the Infiltration Prevention Act according to which the State could detain asylum seekers who entered Israel without permit for up to three years without trail – a move the court deemed unconstitutional.
According to the new formulation, NIS 145 million would be taken from the government ministries and an additional NIS 100 million would be taken from reserves to fund the establishment of the so-called 'open facility.'
The Defense Ministry, the document claims, will be in charge of the facility's construction and upon completion it will pass into the control of the Israeli Prison Service.
The facility itself, which will be open during the day but closed during nighttime, is set to be complete by February 14, 2014 and will be able to hold some 3,300 immigrants. According to Population, Immigration and Border Authority (PIBA) data, there are some 53,000 asylum seekers in Israel.
The proposal, dubbed "Integrated and Coordinated Plan for Dealing with Illegal Infiltration" described the government's overall plan for implementing the law and the new amendment, which includes the establishment of the open-jail, as well as steps for increasing personal security in areas in which the presence of asylum seekers is felt.
According to the proposal, the state will allocate NIS 25 million for the construction of the facility and an additional NIS 59 million for a water sanitation facility which will service the jail.
NIS 149 million will be allocated to the Interior Security Ministry which will also receive funding for an additional 358 positions to run the facilities.
NIS 73 million will be transferred to the ministry to "improve the personal security of residents living in areas with high concentration of infiltrators."
Also, the ministry will pass on six million shekels to the Transportation Ministry to create public transportation from the ministry, to different locations throughout the country.
According to Interior Minister Sa'ar, the goal of the proposal is to "create a coordinated plan to effective deal (with the phenomena)."
- Receive Ynetnews updates
directly to your desktop
