Israel has temporarily ceased their plan to expel Congolese asylum-seekers by early January after much dissent over what some call a “gross disregard for human life,” according to Haaretz.
In early October, Israel removed the temporary protected status (TPS) for immigrants from the Democratic Republic of Congo, forcing them to leave within 90 days. The plan, enacted by Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, the Population Immigration and Borders Authority (PIBA), and the Foreign Ministry, was put in place because “there was no reason not to send them back.”
The intent to strip Congolese immigrants of their TPS is reminiscent of the 45th U.S. President's plan to remove the TPS of Haitian, El Salvadoran, Nicaraguan and Sudanese refugees in November 2017. In October, a federal judge blocked Donald Trump and his administration from executing the forced deportations as racial bias was a likely motivator in the otherwise uninspired decision.
Similar to the announcement of Trump's plan to deport the aforementioned groups, Israel's plan to strip Congolese immigrants of their TPS was quickly chastised. It was also argued that 90 days was not enough for people to uproot the lives they’ve made for themselves in Israel.
Congolese immigrants who remained in Israel beyond January 5 would face deportation without being offered any legal representation.
A petition was soon created by the Hotline for Refugees and Immigrants, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), the African Refugee Development Center, Assaf–the Aid Organization for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Israel, and Physicians for Human Rights.
“[The policy shift] contradicts information emanating from a variety of international and reliable sources about the difficult situation in the Congo,” said the petition. “The security and humanitarian situation in the country is terrible, to the point that there is an immediate danger to the lives of those who reside in many areas there.
There has been a stream of reports surrounding war crimes, executions, and rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Petitioners argue that expelling asylum-seekers to a country in the midst of such chaos is an unjust and unwarranted decision, especially during the election season
“The decision to remove group protection is extreme, totally unreasonable and constitutes gross disregard for human life. The time has come for the Interior Ministry to stand before the court and explain how it can demand that asylum seekers who fear for their fate return to the Congo, when these injustices are still taking place,” said the petition.
In addition to halting the plan pending a hearing, the Jerusalem District Court ordered the state to respond in writing to the petition by January 7.
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