Counting the cost of deporting illegal immigrants

In just five months – between April and August – SA spent more than $2.9m to deport 19 750 foreigners who were in the country illegally. There are more than 150 000 recorded asylum seekers and refugees in the country, with the most from Ethiopia, the DRC and Bangladesh. That’s according to Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber in a written parliamentary reply. News24 reports that he said there are 68 991 active refugees in the country. Most of them are from Somalia (21 202), Ethiopia (13 680), the DRC (20 624), Rwanda (932), and Zimbabwe (3 408). There are also refugees from Yemen (four), Ukraine (three), and Syria (40). In addition, there are 94 416 asylum seekers in the country. Most of them are from Ethiopia (28 872), the DRC (24 135), Bangladesh (9 609), Burundi (5 376), Nigeria (1 484), Pakistan (3 322), and Somalia (4 869). Schreiber said 94 416 foreign nationals had valid section 22 permits, while 85 862 of the active cases had renewed them more than once. ‘International protection for asylum seekers and refugees is, firstly, governed by the domestication of the 1951 Convention on Refugees. Where circumstances have changed in the country of origin, UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) does advise member states to cease the protection of the affected persons. In addition, the department through the Standing Committee on Refugee Affairs and the Refugees Appeals Authority SA do determine asylum seeker and refugee status informed by country of origin reports of individual applicants as part of their daily operations. This determination of the asylum claim is conducted for all asylum seekers as part of the finalisation of their applications,’ he said. News24 notes that Schreiber's spokesperson, Duwayne Esau, said deportation was done in execution of the department's constitutional mandate to uphold the rule of law and safeguard the country’s immigration system. ‘The efficiency of the system can be greatly enhanced through the embrace of biometric and other technology, which is why digital transformation is Home Affairs' apex priority,’ he said.