Seventeen mothers from southern Tel Aviv wrote an impassioned letter to the High Court President, Judge Miriam Naor, describing the harsh realities of raising children in an area that has been afflicted by a massive spike in crime due to an influx of illegal immigrants.
The mothers told of the loss of security for their children, noting bitterly "we can't protect their lives, their security and their souls anymore. The fear that rules our lives, the feeling that we and our children were abandoned, the constant fear, every day and hour, are all too strong for us."
One of the mothers behind the letter, Michal Levy-Karmel, told Arutz Sheva that in the lead up to an additional High Court debate on a petition against the Infiltrator Law which seeks to detain the illegal immigrants, she fears the law will be canceled by the court yet again.
"We reached the conclusion that the court is a bit disconnected from the (reality on the) ground, and we wanted to enlighten the president," said Levy-Karmel. "It can't be that all the time they worry about the welfare of the infiltrators and they don't worry about us."
The concerned mother described how "children can't go out alone, even older children; a year ago on (the Jewish holiday of) Lag B'omer girls were sexually harassed by an infiltrator. There is abandonment here, not security."
Levy-Karmel noted "I've lived in the Shapira neighborhood for twenty years, that's my home, and they invaded my home. The problem just gets worse all the time, they don't count us, and we already feel estranged here."
NGO Israeli Immigration Policy Center's director Orli Yogir added on the issue that it is important for High Court judges to understand that every ruling cancelling the law against infiltration negates the remnants of hope left for the mothers who authored the letter.
While the illegal immigrants from Eritrea and Sudan have claimed to be "refugees," the Israeli government has long provided figures showing the overwhelming majority are just work migrants. Likewise, detailed research from Denmark revealed Eritrean immigrants do not warrant refugee status by any definition.
Candidates from the Yachad - Ha'am Itanu joint list with Otzma Yehudit visited southern Tel Aviv on Sunday to survey the situation on the ground, and promised to take action on the issue.
During the tour, candidate Baruch Marzel told Arutz Sheva "we came here to say we're devoted and committed to continue the battle till the last illegal resident from Africa will (go) back to his home in Africa."