Israel's Population and Immigration Authority on Sunday began sending notification letters to African migrants who entered the country illegally, asking them to leave Israel of their own accord within 60 days or face punitive action.
Israeli policy calling for the deportation of illegal migrants has sparked controversy, with some, who argue the migrants are in fact refugees and asylum-seekers, comparing the deportation to the Holocaust. Current policy states that illegal migrants who leave for their countries of origin or third-party countries by the end of March will receive a $3,500 cash grant and a free plane ticket.
Speaking ahead of the weekly cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the controversy, saying, "Businessman George Soros is the one driving the campaign against the expulsion of the infiltrators."
Soros, a Jewish Hungarian-American billionaire and Holocaust survivor, is often criticized for systematically using his philanthropic activity to fund anti-Israel groups.
"When [Barack] Obama was president, he expelled 2 million infiltrators and no one said a word," Netanyahu said.
The first letters by the Population and Immigration Authority were sent to Eritrean and Sudanese migrants due to appear before Interior Ministry officials with appeals to extend their stay in Israel. The ministry said enforcement efforts opposite illegal migrants who do not leave Israel voluntarily will begin in April.
Meanwhile, around a dozen people protested in the heart of Tel Aviv on Friday against the deportation policy. Protesters held signs with slogans reading "Deportation = Death" and "Stop deportation."
Residents of Tel Aviv's northern neighborhoods announced their intention to take in asylum-seekers in their areas.
According to activist Alon-Lee Green, the residents mean "to stand in solidarity with the neighborhoods of south Tel Aviv and to stop the deportation of asylum-seekers."
