Danon pushes bill to deport 80% of migrants

MK is presenting legislation to expel them from the country, calling on state comptroller to investigate issue.

By LAHAV HARKOV
MK Danny Danon 311 (photo credit: Courtesy: Knesset)
MK Danny Danon 311
(photo credit: Courtesy: Knesset)
MK Danny Danon (Likud) is using several parliamentary tools in his effort to deport illegal migrants, presenting legislation to expel them from the country and calling on Sunday for the state comptroller to investigate the issue.
Danon, who is chairman of the Knesset Caucus to Solve the Infiltrator Problem, is drafting a bill that would require the Interior Ministry to deport half of the illegal migrants within a year, and 80 percent within two years.
The ministry estimates that there are about 100,000 African migrants in Israel.
“Deportation now!” he exclaimed. “Without delay and without mercy, all the infiltrators should be taken out of Israel.”
The Likud MK suggested that Sudanese migrants be sent to South Sudan, while the others go to Africa and Eastern Europe. The Interior Ministry would pay countries to accept the deported migrants.
“The infiltrators are a plague,” Danon said. “We must remove them from Israel before it is too late.”
According to Danon, deportation will deter others from illegally entering the country and stem the increase in crime and violence by migrants.
“Only drastic action can change the situation in Israel – violence and crime cannot be part of the routine in the State of Israel,” he added.
Danon plans to submit the bill to the Knesset this week.
He also wrote a letter to State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss and incoming comptroller Joseph Shapira, asking them to put illegal migrants at the top of their agenda.
By examining the state’s behavior in relation to migrants and pointing out its failures, the government can compose a national plan to solve the problem, Danon wrote.
“If the state comptroller points out the failures, we can find the medicine for this plague,” he said on Sunday.
Danon asked the comptroller to examine holding facilities for illegal migrants, immigration and deportation policy, and crime-reduction efforts.