Warning issued over security breaches, illegal entry at Ben-Gurion Airport

A Detention Review Tribunal judge issued a warning about the ease of infiltrating Israel and the lack of punishment.  The case involved a Georgian infiltrator who entered Israel illegally twice through a security breach at Ben-Gurion Airport.

Despite being arrested and deported, she re-entered using the same method.

Judge Assaf Noam’s June 20, 2024, ruling emphasized the severity of this issue. The infiltrator paid smugglers $5,000 initially and $7,000 later, used forged documents to stay and work in Israel and attempted to legalize her status via a Zoom marriage to an Israeli citizen but was arrested when her application was invalid.

Her appeals against deportation were rejected, but an interim order from the District Court delayed her removal by 14 days. Judge Noam insisted she remain in custody due to the severity of her actions.

Beyond this case, Judge Noam warned about the broader issue of infiltration through Ben-Gurion Airport and the lack of enforcement against repeat offenders.

The Media Line spoke to attorney Yonatan Jakubowicz from the Israeli Immigration Policy Center and to Sabine Hadad, the spokesperson of the Population and Immigration Authority, about the issue.

Hadad said it was impossible to determine the exact number of illegal immigrants entering Israel through Ben-Gurion Airport.

Hundreds crossing the border illegally

“Every year we see about 200 people who try to cross the border like this. That is only those people who we manage to stop,” Hadad said.

Jakubowicz confirmed that the real numbers are unknown.

“We know that only a small percentage of illegal entrants are detained by immigration officials. If hundreds are detained, it implies that the actual number of illegal entrants could be in the thousands,” he explained.

Jakubowicz shared that while most of these immigrants come from Georgia, there are also instances of people arriving from Eastern European countries and Kazakhstan.

“They’re not conducting official detentions, but human trafficking networks are starting to spread again, bringing in people from other countries,” he added.

Jakubowicz expressed his concerns regarding security issues connected to such cases.

“It’s quite clear that if migrants coming for economic reasons can enter easily, it raises the risk that individuals with malicious intentions, such as criminals or terrorists, might exploit these security breaches,” he explained.

“I am not aware of any specific cases, but we do know that some of the people entering use criminal networks, sometimes involving individuals with immigrant backgrounds themselves, to enter illegally,” Jakubowicz said.

Despite Jakubowicz’s concerns, Hadad emphasized that these immigrants come to Israel primarily for work. She explained the process of such violations.

“Over the past year, they have become very prepared. Upon landing in Israel, they change in the airport bathrooms into airport uniforms or the clothing of religious people before passing through passport control,” she said. This way, authorities mistake the immigrants for airport workers.

Hadad explained that the authorities question the individuals they manage to stop. These immigrants are seeking a good workplace, she said, and that’s the only reason they enter Israel.

Jakubowicz said prosecutions for such violations in Israel are very lenient.

“The government just sends them back, even buying tickets at its own expense. Thus, migrants can try their luck, and in the worst-case scenario, they’ll be sent home,” he shared.

“Our view is that people should be criminally prosecuted to make illegal entry into Israel less attractive. Once they finish their sentences, they can be sent back to their country,” he said.

“We can’t just allow people who enter illegally to stay here. We need to develop deterrence against breaking the law and not give people prizes for breaking it,” he added.

According to Jakubowicz, Israel does not have a system of punishment for illegal entry because the courts do not view breaking immigration law as a severe violation: “They don’t see it as a serious crime,” he said.

“Even though the law prescribes up to five years for illegal entry, the prosecution believes that after going through the whole process, the court might only impose two months of community service. It’s not worth the effort, so they prefer not to enforce criminal law and just try to get them out of Israel,” he said.

Jakubowicz also emphasized that the country was currently focused on security and war.

“I wouldn’t expect to see any major government initiative now. On the one hand, there’s war and political instability. On the other hand, the legal system has become much stronger than the government. As long as the legal system doesn’t view illegal immigration as a serious issue, I don’t think we’ll see any serious enforcement in the near future,” he said.