Israeli Immigration Police immigration lawyer

The Israeli Immigration Police (or in its official name “Enforcement and Foreigners Administration”) is part of the Population and Immigration Authority in the Ministry of Interior. It is responsible for enforcing the prohibition on illegal stay in Israel, investigating into illegal employment, gathering intelligence, and locating illegal residents. Few are deeply familiar with the Immigration Police and its powers and limitations. An immigration lawyer from our firm explains about this below and provides information on what points are important to know.

Our law firm in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv specializes in immigration to Israel. The lawyers from our firm regularly deal with issues such as arranging legal status in Israel, work visas for asylum seekers, rights of asylum seekers and assistance in executing these rights, and representation before the Population Authority and the various legal courts.

What Is the Immigration Police?

Hundreds of thousands of foreign workers live in Israel today. Most of them have a permit to stay and work in Israel. However, several tens of thousands of them are staying in Israel illegally. According to data from the Population and Immigration Authority from 2019 (the most recent annual data published by the Authority as of the time of writing), there are about 102,000 legal workers, and about 17,000 illegal workers. The main official body responsible for enforcement actions against illegal stay and employment in Israel is not the Israel Police but, rather, the Immigration Police of the Population and Immigration Authority, better known as the Enforcement and Foreigners Administration.

The Administration employs about 300 inspectors, intelligence personnel, and investigators. Inspectors have powers of arrest, similar to Israeli police officers. The Administration acts as an executive arm of the Population and Immigration Authority. It is geographically divided into four areas: The Tel Aviv Area; the Central and Jerusalem Area (located at the Ben Gurion Airport); the Northern Area (located in Haifa); and the Southern Area (located in Omer). The general public is not very familiar with the powers of the Administration, nor is it always clear what the rights of foreign citizens or their employers are vis-à-vis the Immigration Police. The current article explains about this in detail.

What Are the Roles of the Immigration Police?

As the executive arm of the Population and Immigration Authority, the Administration assists the Authority in enforcing illegal stays in Israel. In addition, the Administration is responsible for enforcing illegal employment. For this purpose, the Administration has inspectors and investigators with police powers who are authorized to act against illegal immigrants and their employers. Additional roles of the Administration are handling requests for asylum in Israel, handling uncontrolled entry into Israel, and enforcing illegal human trafficking.

What are the Powers and Routes of Action of the Immigration Police?

Apart from the geographical division into four areas explained above, the Immigration Police is divided into several arms and wings. The enforcement arm of the Administration operates through field inspectors. The inspectors have powers similar to those that Israel Police officers have when performing their duties. In addition, the Administration has an investigative arm, which works to detect illegal employment, especially vis-à-vis employers. The Administration also has an intelligence arm, which is responsible for gathering information and using external sources to detect illegal foreigners, as well as border control.

However, the Administration does not only act as an Immigration Police, but also holds bureaucratic powers and even powers reserved for the Prison Service. The Administration is responsible for the RSD unit that deals with examining requests for asylum in Israel, subject to the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees to which the State of Israel is a signatory. This issue is explained in detail in another article published on our website.

In addition to the power to examine requests for asylum, the unit also deals with encouraging illegal stayers to leave voluntarily, and assists them in leaving the country and sometimes even in financial grants for this purpose. In addition, the Administration, together with the Prison Service, operates the immigration detention centers for illegal stayers (Holot and Saharonim in the south of the country, and Givon located in Lod).

What are the Limits of the Immigration Police’s Powers?

As you can see, the Enforcement and Foreigners Administration in Israel has many powers. However, these powers are not unlimited. The Administration’s inspectors and workers are required to preserve the rights of the foreign citizens and employers with whom they come in contact. If they do not, their decisions may be appealed, and it often happens that the court criticizes the Administration for its routes of action. For example, in an important ruling from 2017, the Supreme Court criticized the way in which the Administration acted to expel foreigners from Israel to third countries.

The ruling stated that, when it is not proven that the third country is safe and that the conditions required for deportation are met, the non-consent of foreigners to deportation to that country shall not be considered as non-cooperation that justifies holding them in a detention center. The ruling illustrates the importance of preserving the rights of foreigners staying in Israel, and the limits of the Immigration Police’s powers, which are subject to the judicial system’s scrutiny. If you have experienced enforcement actions by the Immigration Police, it is important that you consult an immigration lawyer to preserve your rights.

Legal Assistance for Foreigners and Asylum Seekers in Israel – Contact an Immigration Lawyer

If you have any questions or need assistance with the Immigration Police, you can contact a lawyer from our law firm who specializes in immigration to Israel and is experienced in legal representation before the various authorities and courts in Israel. You can contact a lawyer from our firm using the phone numbers or e-mail address listed below.