Six hundred illegal migrants currently residing in Israel have turned in their applications for a voluntary departure, according to statistics released on Tuesday by the Interior Ministry.
According to the government figures, 500 of the applicants were South Sudanese wishing to take part in operation “Returning Home,” a government initiative offering financial assistance of 1,000 euros (approximately $1,250) and a plane ticket home for migrants who agree to leave Israel of their own accord.
The ministry’s Population, Immigration and Borders Authority credited the special efforts of the unit to encourage voluntary emigration for the large number of Africans who have asked to leave Israel.
On Monday, 40 migrants of various nationalities were arrested throughout the country as part of a nationwide round-up of illegal migrants in Israel.
On June 7, a Jerusalem court approved the deportation of South Sudanese nationals who entered the country illegally. The Population, Immigration and Borders Authority announced shortly thereafter that South Sudanese would have one week to turn themselves in and leave the country, or be deported by force.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the
terms
There are roughly 1,500 South Sudanese in Israel, a small percentage of the estimated 60,000-70,000 African migrants, mostly from Eritrea and Sudan proper, who are known to have entered the country illegally.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
