Authorities detained 21 illegal immigrant workers on Monday who were employed in a factory in southern Israel, despite not having the necessary work visas.
The workers were taken into custody by agents of the Administration of Border Crossings, Population and Immigration, a division of the Interior Ministry.
Of the 21 illegal immigrant workers detained at the factory, 18 are Eritrean citizens, while the other three are Sudanese.
The 21 workers detained at the factory will be brought before a judge for a hearing before being transferred to the Saharonim detention center in the Negev.
The Administration of Border Crossings, Population and Immigration has opened an investigation into several companies involved in recruiting the illegal immigrant workers for employment at the factory.
“Again and again we find employers who systematically break the law and employ foreigners without the legal permits,” a spokesperson for the Administration of Border Crossings, Population and Immigration said. “That’s a criminal offense in every sense, and we will fight vigorously against this unacceptable phenomenon.”