Israel has 30 days to return the blocked money to migrant workers

Text by: Guilhem Delteil Follow

It is a victory for migrant defense associations in Israel. The Supreme Court overturned a landmark measure to encourage asylum seekers to leave the country: it forced them to deposit 20% of their salary in a blocked bank account. In a judgment published Thursday, April 23, the Court found that this measure is contrary to the fundamental rights of asylum seekers.

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From our correspondent in Jerusalem ,

The law had been adopted in 2017 when the government had to renounce forcibly deporting Eritrean and Sudanese nationals present in Israel, described as "  infiltrators  " by the authorities. "  It is the only legal tool we have today to encourage infiltrators to leave voluntarily,  " said Yoav Kisch, a Likud MP, about the law.

But after three years of proceedings, the Supreme Court ruled that this compulsory deduction of 20% on wages "  clearly, tangibly and substantially undermines the property rights  " of these legally employed workers. And if it considers that "  the use of economic incentives is a legitimate tactic to implement an immigration policy  ", it also judges that this law has hardly encouraged Eritreans and Sudanese to leave voluntarily.

Several leaders of the religious nationalist right party have attacked this decision, which they believe threatens the Jewish identity of Israel. But under this ruling, the government now has 30 days to return the blocked money to the workers concerned. According to the association that led the legal battle, more than 70 million euros should be paid to them.

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