New unit arrests 400 foreigners in first 3 weeks of operation

The newly created "Oz" task force on Thursday presented data according to which it rounded up 600 foreign citizens and arrested an additional 400 in its first three weeks of operation.

The task force, which consists of 100 members, replaced the Immigration Police. It refused to specify the nationalities of the detainees, but Ynet has learned that many of them are Sudanese and Eritrean citizens seeking refuge in Israel. These detainees cannot be deported because forcing them to return to their home countries would put their lives at risk.

In response to claims that some of the detainees are minors, "Oz" officials said all the detainees are above 18 years of age. According to the data presented by the task force, since its establishment some 120 foreign citizens and 50 Palestinians who had resided in Israel illegally were deported, adding that an additional 90 illegal foreign workers are in the process of being deported.

The Interior Ministry stressed that the task force encourages illegal residents to leave the country voluntarily, saying that so far 700 of them have decided to leave of their own accord. Meanwhile, 40 investigations have been launched against Israelis who allegedly hired illegal residents, the ministry reported.

According to the Hotline for Migrant Workers, many detainees lost their work permit due to the fact that their employer had died, illegally turned them over to some one else or simply fired them. The data also showed that 45 detainees either entered Israel with a tourist visa and remained in the country for work purposes after it had expired or entered the country illegally through the border with Egypt.