Aharonovitch warns of influx of illegal African migrants

Public Security Minister calls for implementation of decision to put up fence.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
Aharonovitch 311 (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski/The Jerusalem Post))
Aharonovitch 311
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski/The Jerusalem Post))
Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch has reiterated a warning over the influx of illegal African migrants into Israel, during a tour of the Egyptian border on Tuesday.
“A thousand two hundred migrants come through here every month, enter Israel, and then Tel Aviv, Eilat and Ashdod. This is a serious shortcoming, which Israeli society is paying for,” he said during the tour.
The minister was briefed by an IDF commander and Southern District Police Chief Cmdr. Yohanan Danino.
Aharonovitch lamented the delay in implementing a March government decision to set up a fence.
“We were promised that work would start in November.
I don’t see that happening.
Immediate work needs to commence so that the fence is ready. Border Police units need to be moved here, obstacles and fences need to be erected, and those who employ illegals need to be dealt with,” Aharonovitch said.
On Sunday, Aharonovitch said that up to 2.5 million African migrants who are currently residing in Cairo “are waiting” to cross into Israel.
The public security minister added that Ashdod had become a new center for illegal migrants, and that 2,000 had made their homes in that city.
According to figures presented by Aharonovitch to the government, 155,000 illegal African migrants now live in Israel. Some 50,000 are based in Tel Aviv’s central bus station area. Eight thousand migrants live in Eilat, and 7,000 live in Arad.