Israel’s immigration police arrested on Monday dozens of African migrants, mostly South Sudanese nationals, in Eilat and central Israel.

The Interior Ministry’s Oz Immigration Police raided a neighborhood in Eilat on Monday morning, arresting dozens of South Sudanese migrants in order to deport them back to their country of origin.

Around 5:00 A.M., a large contingent of immigration police arrived at a neighborhood that is home to many African migrants. The police entered homes, demanding that their inhabitants pack their belongings and withdraw all of their money from the bank ahead of their deportation.

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Moreover, several arrests were also made in central Israel. The Immigration Authority reported that 55 African migrants were arrested on Monday, of them 45 were South Sudanese nationals.

An activist from Assaf, an NGO that aides African migrants, said Israeli police treated the migrants as criminals.

“It is unclear why the police come at 5 A.M. and frighten families with small children,” Orit Rubin said. “These are people who committed no crime and acted in legitimate ways, but are being treated like lowly criminals.”

For more, go to Haaretz.com

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