By KTA News Team |
The special committee for foreign workers recently heard a review from Yossi Edelstein, the head of the Enforcement and Foreigners Administration at the Population Authority.
Edelstein discussed the agency’s main goals, which include reducing the number of illegal workers in Israel while also protecting the rights of those legally employed in the country. Edelstein went on to describe some of the agency’s recent efforts, including the construction of rooms for interrogating foreign workers and the use of biometric scanning for those entering the country lawfully. He also shared data with the committee, revealing that there are currently around 80,700 foreign workers staying in Israel illegally, with a significant portion employed in nursing and agriculture.
Last year, the agency carried out over 1,800 business inspections for illegal foreign employees and imposed fines and recommendations for criminal indictments in numerous cases. Additionally, over 5,500 people were refused entry to Israel by border inspectors and held at the Yehalom facility until being returned to their countries of origin.
As Israel continues to grapple with its foreign worker situation, Edelstein’s update provided valuable insight into the ongoing efforts to regulate the influx of foreign labor while ensuring the rights and safety of those legally employed in the country.
