Israel to deport 15,000 Filipinos

The Israeli government has ordered the immediate deportation of some 15,000 Filipino illegal workers, Israel's envoy to the Philippines said yesterday.

Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Irit Ben Aba, in an interview with reporters yesterday, said the 15,000 Filipinos are part of the total 50,000 undocumented aliens who will be affected by the deportation order.

"Most of the illegal Filipino workers had entered Israel using tourist visas or their contracts with their original employers have already expired but they have remained in the country and had found jobs with other employers," Ben Aba said.

She explained that the government ordered the crackdown on illegal foreign workers in order to open up more jobs for Israelis.

Most of the Filipinos in Israel are employed as care givers in convalescent homes and as domestic helpers. About half of the estimated 30,000 Filipino workers in Israel are undocumented, Ben Aba said.

"Israel's deportation of illegally staying Filipinos will be handled very carefully. We will avoid as much as possible the violation of their rights," Ben Aba noted.