Go home or go to jail: Israel pressures African migrants to leave

Israel is offering illegal immigrants $3,500 and a one-way ticket home as it begins to crack down on refugees, who face prison if they don’t take up the deal. Rights groups are appalled at the move, saying Israel should be doing more to protect them.

Reuters / Ronen Zvulun

Israel says the tough move is necessary to send a message to migrants that making the journey is not worthwhile in the first place. As deterrents it has built a steel fence along the border with Egypt, houses migrants in a detention camp in the middle of a desert, and has stopped issuing work permits to deter would-be migrants

I visited Holot months ago. Eristrean and Sudan had terribles stories buy they had hope. Now Israel will deport them. pic.twitter.com/XT1fqqLetq

— María García (@MissZornoza) March 31, 2015

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