Sydney Migration Activity Snares 32 Illegals
Media Release - DPS 24/2003
Operations in Sydney conducted by the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs have snared 32 people who were either in Australia unlawfully or found working in breach of visa conditions.
The operation conducted on Wednesday 19 March 2003 throughout the Sydney metropolitan area resulted from community and NSW Police information.
Located during the operations were:
- Eight unlawful non-citizens and one person found working in breach of their visa conditions in factories in Brookvale and Girraween
- Three persons working in breach of visa conditions and one unlawful non-citizen in a restaurant in Chatswood and a retail outlet in Homebush
- Two student visa holders from Brazil working in a café in Manly in breach of their visa conditions
- One unlawful non-citizen working at the Royal North Shore Hospital
- Two unlawful non-citizens referred to DIMIA following charges laid by NSW Police for other matters, and
- 14 other unlawful non-citizens located in residential addresses.
Those detained included foreign nationals from Indonesia, China, Japan, Fiji, Thailand, the Philippines, Nepal and Vietnam. Five have already left the country and the balance are either in detention or are making arrangements to depart the country.
DIMIA compliance officers, often with the assistance of NSW Police, regularly visit restaurants, nightclubs, brothels, factories and private residences to detect and locate people who are in the country illegally or who are working illegally.
In the 2001-02 financial year, 17,307 overstayers and people breaching
visa conditions were located nationally - a significant increase
on the 14,238 found in 2000-01.
21 March 2003
Media inquiries:
Public Affairs: (02) 6264 2244 (bh) or 0419 442 000 (ah)