Illegal immigration from Africa to Israel
Encyclopedia
Illegal immigration from Africa to Israel (often also referred to as Infiltration from Africa to Israel by the Israeli mediaand by Israeli government organisations) is the name of a phenomenon that began in the second half of the 2000s in which a large number of Illegal immigrants from Africa entered Israel illegally, mainly through the fenced border between Israel and Egypt. According to the data of the Israeli Interior Ministry, the number of these illegal immigrants amounted to 26,635 people to July 2010.
Many of the illegal immigrants seek an asylum status under the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees
of the United Nations. Only a fraction of all the illegal immigrants is actually eligible for this status (see Sudanese refugees in Israel
). However, many of them, mostly citizens of Eritrea
and Sudan
, cannot be forcibly deported from Israel. The Eritrea citizens (who, since 2009, form the majority of the illegal immigrants in Israel) cannot be deported due to the opinion of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
that Eritrea has a difficult internal situation and a forced recruitment and therefore the Eritrean immigrants are defined as a "temporary humanitarian protection group". Despite the fact that a similar opinion does not exist in relation to citizens of Sudan, Israel does not deport them back to Egypt due to a real fear for their fate. Although the immigrants entered Israel from Egypt, Israel cannot deport them back to Egypt because the Egyptians refuse to give an undertaking not to deport the immigrants to their countries of origin. Accordingly, the Israeli authorities grant a temporary residence permit to the illegal immigrants, which needs to be renew every three months. Various authorities in Israel estimate that between 80-90 percent of the illegal immigrants live primarily in two centers: Tel Aviv
(more than 60 percent of the Illegal immigrants) and Eilat (more than 20 percent), with a few in Ashdod, Jerusalem and Arad.
countries to immigrate to developed countries in order to improve their wages and quality of life
. This is often done in contravention of immigration laws of the destination country, especially when infiltrating into it, such as infiltration made to the United States from the Mexican border
. Developed countries are trying to combat this issue in various ways.
As in other developed countries, the phenomenon of migrant workers also exists in Israel. Illegal immigrants from Africa to Israel is relatively easy due to Israel's land border with Egypt, which mostly is absent of obstacles.
In some of the illegal immigrants' countries of origin humanitarian hardship exists. The UNHCR has declared Eritrea
as a country in humanitarian crisis. In the Darfur
region in western Sudan, a genocide
has been taking place since 2003. As a result, many of its residents became refugees and fled to Egypt
. Added to those were refugees from southern Sudan, where civil war
took place between the predominantly Arab
Muslim
inhabitants of the north and the non-Arab, Christians and animists inhabitants of the south.
In 2009, in reports to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Israel stated that 90% of the illegal immigrants from Sudan and Eritrea are refugees. .
.
In early May 2010, it was estimated that 24,339 illegal immigrants resided in Israel, of whom the number of Sudanese and Eritrean refugees who are not deportable under international law
was 18,959: 5,649 Sudanese and 13,310 Eritreans. 16,766 of them received a special visa (ס 2א 5) granted to infiltrators whom are non-deportable asylum seekers. Officially, the visa allows them only to stay in the country, but in practice the state also allows the refugees to work and avoids imposing fines on the Israeli employers who employ them. This special visa requires renewal every three months. 141 infiltrators, mostly from Ethiopia
, received refugee status.
According to the IDF's Operations Division in 2008, most of the countries from where the illegal immigrants came are(in descending order): Eritrea
, Sudan
, Ethiopia
, Ivory Coast and Nigeria
. Most of the Illegal immigrants (85%) were men.
from their country of origin through flights. From there they often pay sums of up to two thousand dollars for Bedouin
smugglers to transfer them to the border between Egypt and Israel. There have been cases of abuse against the female illegal immigrants committed by the Bedouin smugglers, including rape
and other degrations. Another danger lurking for the illegal immigrants is the Egyptian army policy to shoot at them in order to prevent crossing the Egypt/Israel border.
The number of criminal cases opened against illegal immigrants is relatively low in number, as regards cases involving crimes committed against the general population where they live. However, according to the research department of the Israel Police and Israel's foreign immigrants' crime is characterized by predominantly sectoral internal crime, in which a gun is not reported, and illegal immigrants generally have no interest in complaining to the police.
has expressed his opposition to the African illegal immigration phenomenon for several reasons - From a security perspective, they may serve as informant
s or as operatives of hostile states or terrorist organizations. Socially, they are contributing to the congestion
in the cities and to the rise in crime
. From the demographic perspective, the already existing demographic threat to the Jewish majority only worsens by the gradual increase of illegal immigrants. According to Sofer, failing to stop the illegal immigration waves at an early stage will only lead to much larger waves of illegal immigration in the future.
In Israeli cities which have high rates of African illegal immigrants a resistance has emerged amongst the local population against this phenomenon. In mid-2010, a demonstration was held in Eilat against the non-action of the Israeli government, the residents claimed that they are now afraid to walk outside at certain neighborhoods at night. In the Shapira and Kiryat Shalom neighborhoods in the southern part of Tel Aviv a number of real estate agents have stated that they intend not to rent apartments in these neighborhoods to the illegal immigrants. .
On the other hand, demonstrations, rallies and other event supporting the refugees have also been held regularly .
The Israeli economic commentator Nehemiah Shtrasler estimated that the illegal immigrants take the places of weaker manual workers, causing loss of jobs and a reduction in the wages. He also claimed that they burden the health care, welfare and education systems. "We would never be able to raise the standard of living of the needy and reduce the gaps, if we keep on absorbing more and more destitute people".
Many of the illegal immigrants seek an asylum status under the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees
Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees
The United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees is an international convention that defines who is a refugee, and sets out the rights of individuals who are granted asylum and the responsibilities of nations that grant asylum. The Convention also sets out which people do not...
of the United Nations. Only a fraction of all the illegal immigrants is actually eligible for this status (see Sudanese refugees in Israel
Sudanese refugees in Israel
There are thousands of Sudanese refugees in Israel, most of them seeking refuge from ongoing military conflicts in their home country of Sudan. Because Sudan is defined by Israel as a "hostile state" their official status as refugees is still a highly disputed issue by Israeli authorities, and...
). However, many of them, mostly citizens of Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
and Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, cannot be forcibly deported from Israel. The Eritrea citizens (who, since 2009, form the majority of the illegal immigrants in Israel) cannot be deported due to the opinion of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees , also known as The UN Refugee Agency is a United Nations agency mandated to protect and support refugees at the request of a government or the UN itself and assists in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to...
that Eritrea has a difficult internal situation and a forced recruitment and therefore the Eritrean immigrants are defined as a "temporary humanitarian protection group". Despite the fact that a similar opinion does not exist in relation to citizens of Sudan, Israel does not deport them back to Egypt due to a real fear for their fate. Although the immigrants entered Israel from Egypt, Israel cannot deport them back to Egypt because the Egyptians refuse to give an undertaking not to deport the immigrants to their countries of origin. Accordingly, the Israeli authorities grant a temporary residence permit to the illegal immigrants, which needs to be renew every three months. Various authorities in Israel estimate that between 80-90 percent of the illegal immigrants live primarily in two centers: Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
(more than 60 percent of the Illegal immigrants) and Eilat (more than 20 percent), with a few in Ashdod, Jerusalem and Arad.
Background
In recent decades considerable efforts have been made of by many migrant workers from third worldThird World
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either capitalism and NATO , or communism and the Soviet Union...
countries to immigrate to developed countries in order to improve their wages and quality of life
Quality of life
The term quality of life is used to evaluate the general well-being of individuals and societies. The term is used in a wide range of contexts, including the fields of international development, healthcare, and politics. Quality of life should not be confused with the concept of standard of...
. This is often done in contravention of immigration laws of the destination country, especially when infiltrating into it, such as infiltration made to the United States from the Mexican border
Illegal immigration to the United States
An illegal immigrant in the United States is an alien who has entered the United States without government permission or stayed beyond the termination date of a visa....
. Developed countries are trying to combat this issue in various ways.
As in other developed countries, the phenomenon of migrant workers also exists in Israel. Illegal immigrants from Africa to Israel is relatively easy due to Israel's land border with Egypt, which mostly is absent of obstacles.
In some of the illegal immigrants' countries of origin humanitarian hardship exists. The UNHCR has declared Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
as a country in humanitarian crisis. In the Darfur
Darfur
Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...
region in western Sudan, a genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
has been taking place since 2003. As a result, many of its residents became refugees and fled to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. Added to those were refugees from southern Sudan, where civil war
Second Sudanese Civil War
The Second Sudanese Civil War started in 1983, although it was largely a continuation of the First Sudanese Civil War of 1955 to 1972. Although it originated in southern Sudan, the civil war spread to the Nuba mountains and Blue Nile by the end of the 1980s....
took place between the predominantly Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
inhabitants of the north and the non-Arab, Christians and animists inhabitants of the south.
In 2009, in reports to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Israel stated that 90% of the illegal immigrants from Sudan and Eritrea are refugees. .
The development of illegal immigration from Africa to Israel
In the second half of the 2000s, there was a significant increase in the number of illegal immigrants from Africa to Israel who crossed the Egyptian border. In 2006 about 1,000 illegal immigrants were caught; in 2007 about 5,000 were caught; in 2008 about 8,700 were caught; and in 2009 about 5,000 were caught. In the first half of 2010 the Illegal immigration rate even further increased in the first seven months when over 8,000 Illegal immigrants were caught. The total number of illegal immigrants is clearly greater than these figures, because many were not apprehended. The early wave of infiltrators came mainly from Sudan, while in 2009 the majority of the immigrants were from EritreaEritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
.
In early May 2010, it was estimated that 24,339 illegal immigrants resided in Israel, of whom the number of Sudanese and Eritrean refugees who are not deportable under international law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
was 18,959: 5,649 Sudanese and 13,310 Eritreans. 16,766 of them received a special visa (ס 2א 5) granted to infiltrators whom are non-deportable asylum seekers. Officially, the visa allows them only to stay in the country, but in practice the state also allows the refugees to work and avoids imposing fines on the Israeli employers who employ them. This special visa requires renewal every three months. 141 infiltrators, mostly from Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, received refugee status.
According to the IDF's Operations Division in 2008, most of the countries from where the illegal immigrants came are(in descending order): Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
, Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, Ivory Coast and Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. Most of the Illegal immigrants (85%) were men.
The infiltration to Israel
African illegal immigrants in Israel usually initially arrive in EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
from their country of origin through flights. From there they often pay sums of up to two thousand dollars for Bedouin
Bedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
smugglers to transfer them to the border between Egypt and Israel. There have been cases of abuse against the female illegal immigrants committed by the Bedouin smugglers, including rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
and other degrations. Another danger lurking for the illegal immigrants is the Egyptian army policy to shoot at them in order to prevent crossing the Egypt/Israel border.
The housing and occupations of the Illegal immigrants in Israel
Except for the Illegal immigrants held at prison facilities (about 1,900 in August 2010), the rest live and/or work in Israel. The Israeli department of immigration does not keep continuous supervision over their place of residence but, according to estimates based on data from the Israeli police, the local authorities and the aid organizations, between 15,000-17,000 illegal immigrants live in Tel Aviv (especially in south Tel Aviv, although the number includes also the illegal immigrants who live in Bat Yam and Bnei Brak) and between 4,000 to 6,000 in Eilat. Ashdod estimates range from 500 to 2,000 in Arad 400 to 600 . Their prominent Practice jobs in hotels, especially in Eilat.The number of criminal cases opened against illegal immigrants is relatively low in number, as regards cases involving crimes committed against the general population where they live. However, according to the research department of the Israel Police and Israel's foreign immigrants' crime is characterized by predominantly sectoral internal crime, in which a gun is not reported, and illegal immigrants generally have no interest in complaining to the police.
The development of the state's treatment towards the Illegal immigrants
Aid organizations
Israel has a number of organizations focused on helping the illegal immigrants in Israel. In some cases the organizations have compared the Holocaust refugees to the African infiltrators. Relief organizations have been involved in discussions held in Knesset committees on this issue and have submitted a petition against the measures the state has taken to put a halt to the phenomenon of infiltration.Reactions in Israel to the illegal immigration phenomenon
The Israeli geographer Arnon SoferArnon Sofer
Arnon Sofer is an Israeli geographer and a professor of Geography and environmental sciences, whom specializes in water issues and demography. Sofer is one of the University of Haifa founders...
has expressed his opposition to the African illegal immigration phenomenon for several reasons - From a security perspective, they may serve as informant
Informant
An informant is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law enforcement world, where they are officially known as confidential or criminal informants , and can often refer pejoratively to the supply of information...
s or as operatives of hostile states or terrorist organizations. Socially, they are contributing to the congestion
Congestion
Congestion generally means excessive crowding.Congestion may refer to:* congestion in heart failure, a term to describe low cardiac output seen in heart failure.* Nasal congestion, the blockage of nasal passages due to swollen membranes...
in the cities and to the rise in crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
. From the demographic perspective, the already existing demographic threat to the Jewish majority only worsens by the gradual increase of illegal immigrants. According to Sofer, failing to stop the illegal immigration waves at an early stage will only lead to much larger waves of illegal immigration in the future.
In Israeli cities which have high rates of African illegal immigrants a resistance has emerged amongst the local population against this phenomenon. In mid-2010, a demonstration was held in Eilat against the non-action of the Israeli government, the residents claimed that they are now afraid to walk outside at certain neighborhoods at night. In the Shapira and Kiryat Shalom neighborhoods in the southern part of Tel Aviv a number of real estate agents have stated that they intend not to rent apartments in these neighborhoods to the illegal immigrants. .
On the other hand, demonstrations, rallies and other event supporting the refugees have also been held regularly .
The Israeli economic commentator Nehemiah Shtrasler estimated that the illegal immigrants take the places of weaker manual workers, causing loss of jobs and a reduction in the wages. He also claimed that they burden the health care, welfare and education systems. "We would never be able to raise the standard of living of the needy and reduce the gaps, if we keep on absorbing more and more destitute people".