|
11 Indian workers to be deported from Australia
LAST UPDATE: Saturday, 10 May 2008 - 4:24:48 AM
MELBOURNE: Australian authorities have detained 11 illegal Indian workers in New South Wales Riverina who are expected to be deported back to India.
"Immigration officers located 12 illegal workers and uncovered evidence of possible exploitation and fraudulent migration activity during a two-night operation in the New South Wales Riverina," Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Chris Evans said.
"Six unlawful non-citizens, three men and three women, were detained in Griffith. All were Indian nationals," he said, adding "another four Indian nationals, three men and a woman were detained for working in breach of their visa conditions while an Indian man and a Pakistani man were also found to be unlawful non-citizens."
All of the 12, including the 11 "illegal" Indian workers, have been transferred to Villawood Immigration Detention Centre in Sydney where arrangements will be made for their removal from Australia, the minister said in a statement.
Evans said the detained people were believed to have been working in the horticultural industry on several farms in the region.
The operation was part of an ongoing investigation into illegal workers in the area and conducted with the assistance of the state police. The minister said the Riverina operation had yielded evidence of possible worker exploitation and migration agent fraud.
"Immigration officers obtained crucial information that will help further in its investigation into the source of illegal labour in the region," Evans said, adding the Rudd government takes a zero tolerance approach towards illegal workers and similarly, there are no excuses for employers who engage workers without valid visas.
|
|
|
