21 Illegals Detained after Sydney Compliance Operations
Media Release - DPS 97/2002
Twenty-one people either in Australia unlawfully or found working in breach of visa conditions are in immigration detention following a number of compliance operations in the Sydney area yesterday.
Acting on community information, Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA) officers visited a number of premises in the Canterbury, Mascot and Mosman areas locating and detaining 13 foreign nationals:
- At a residence in Burwood four men were found to be in Australia unlawfully - two Malay nationals, one Hong Kong national and one Chinese national. The men were also believed to be working illegally as plasterers and carpenters.
- One female Chinese national was detained for working in breach of visa conditions in the textiles industry in Mosman. A further three unlawful non-citizens from China - two women and one man - were located at private residences in the Canterbury area.
- Three others, one female Chinese national, one female Taiwanese national and a Thai man, were also all found working illegally - the women at a food hall in Campsie and the man at a Mascot factory.
- Two unlawful male nationals from Bangladesh were located at factories in the Mascot and Burwood areas.
In addition, during a joint operation with NSW Police last night, compliance officers located 10 Malaysian women working in breach of visa conditions at a Woolloomooloo brothel. Eight of the women were detained while the remaining two were issued with Notices of Intention to cancel their visas.
The 21 people detained have been transferred to the Villawood Immigration Detention Centre where they will remain while arrangements are made for their departure from Australia, as soon as practicable, as required by law.
Warning notices will be issued to all the relevant employers of those found working illegally.
To 31 October this financial year, the Department had located 6,957 people who had either overstayed or breached visa conditions. In the 2001-02 financial year, 17,307 overstayers and people breaching visa conditions nationally were located - a significant increase on the 14,238 found in 2000-01.
DIMIA officers make regular visits to workplaces in many parts of Australia, such as restaurants, farms, shops, offices, factories and brothels, in an effort to detect and locate people who are in the country illegally or who are working illegally. DIMIA may also issue warning notices to employers or labour suppliers who are found to have employed illegal workers.
12 December 2002
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