Stopping Deportation Act!

The Association for the Rights of Mixed Families struggles against the government's attempts to pass the 19th amendment of the Israeli Entrance Act, an amendment which, if passed in second and third reading, will result in unprecedented deportation of thousands of mixed families' members.

12.08.08Thursday,
Internal Affairs and Environment Committee, chairman MK Ophir Pines-Paz, was held today to hear reasons of support and voices of opposition to the Proposed Amendment No. 19 to Israel's Entry Act called "Forcible Deportation" to advance it to its second and third readings in Knesset. The act is especially problematic, since it grants the Ministry of Interior the authority to deport anyone who stays in Israel without a valid civic status. He/she will be forced to leave the borders of the country for a period that is between one to five years (respectively to the length of the period one had spent in Israel without a valid permit). Only after this period they will be given the option to present a renewed appeal for settling their status in the Israeli Ministry of Interior. The main problem is that the bill lacks the balance mechanisms.

The bill imposes severe sanctions without any outline of application procedures, court hearings or establishing special court concerning immigration and refugee matters. In this situation, hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens are encountering severe difficulties and sanctions during their attempts to obtain citizenship for their spouses who are not Jewish, or to re-unite with non-Jewish family members who remained outside the borders of the state of Israel. There are about 8,000 spouses, children or lone elderly parents, relatives of the mixed family members and most of them have filed applications to register permanent residence or adjust status to Ministry of Interior. According the proposed amendment, a just-married husband or wife will be forced to communicate with his beloved partner via Skype while her request for status is being examined by the Ministry of Interior. Moreover, he/she must also leave Israel, since the application is under consideration and it may take years.

The discussion itself, managed by Chairman Piness, was deeply investigated and described, but looks like MOIA officials haven't changed their minds yet, and its heads still refuse to recognize the reservations rose. According to the head of the new Migration and Population Authority Yaakov Ganot, Israel has 250,000 illegal residents, and that number is growing by 2,000 each month. It's difficult to understand where is this data coming from, or how it was gathered, but even if we take his words as the pure truth, enacting this amendment without a proper reviewing of immigration policy in a democratic regime cannot be accepted. Present constellation is that in many cases MOIA officers act on without any legally specified authority.

The AMF, which struggles for the promotion of equality of rights for mixed families' immigrants and their relatives, raised its voice against "Forcible Deportation" and suggested enacting such measures as fines, depositing guarantees and court concerning immigration and refugee matters. For close relatives such as spouses, kids and parents of new immigrants whose overstay in Israel exceeds 5 years we demand to provide them with legal status on humanitarian basis.

Nitzan Hochner, Media and Lobbying Coordinator