Promoting the Law Against Infiltration (Amendment 4)

A bill to prevent illegal migration (jurisdiction felony) (amendment 4 and executive order), 2013

December 2013

The High Court of Justice ruled to strike down the Law Against Infiltration (Amendment 3) in September 2013, and prohibited the holding of migrants in custody for three years. Shortly afterwards the Israel Immigration Policy Center filed an urgent appeal to the court with a demand to limit the movement of illegal migrants who would be released from the closed facility and sent to south Tel Aviv, asking the court to establish open air holding facilities for the illegal aliens outside the cities. At the same time, due to the short time the High Court had allotted (90 days) until the release of the migrants held at the Saharonim facility, the government and the Knesset initiated a quick legislative procedure in order to legislate a new plan. This plan determined a stay of one year only in custody for newly-arrived migrants, and a duty to stay in semi-open facilities with no time limit for all other migrants.

Upon the publication of the new bill, the Israel Center for Immigration Policy raised issues with the Knesset’s Internal Affairs Committee and participated in discussions held by the committee during the process of legislating the new law.