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.