Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that the country’s authorities have started the procedure of deportation of thousands of African immigrants, according to Sputnik.
"Today, we have started the procedure of deportation of illegal immigrants from Israel, similar to what advanced countries did, the United States in particular. We prevented infiltration of illegal immigrants into Israel with the help of a barrier built on the border with Sinai. Also I will keep my promise to expel illegal immigrants from our country," Netanyahu wrote on Facebook.
Earlier in the day, the Population, Immigration and Border Authority reportedly started sending deportation notices to asylum seekers from Eritrea and Sudan, but so far only to the ones without children. They are given 60 days to leave Israel, and are offered $3,500 each for the voluntary departure from Israel to an unnamed third country.
In January, Netanyahu praised US President Donald Trump's executive order to build a wall that would prevent illegal migrants from Mexico from entering the United States.
In 2013, Israel finished the construction of a barrier along sections of its border with Egypt, aimed at curbing illegal migration from Africa.