Israeli Supreme Court Rebukes State Over Funding Deportation Flights for Migrants

After years of the Israeli government fully funding the deportation of illegal migrants and workers, the Population and Immigration Authority has begun charging deportees for part of the costs. According to a report by Nettael Bendel on ynet, in the first half of 2026, approximately 860,000 shekels were collected from deportees. Until now, the state covered the expenses of flights to countries of origin and other costs related to holding deportees in custody.

This change followed a 2024 petition by the Israel Immigration Policy Center demanding enforcement of a law allowing the state to recover deportation costs from the deportees themselves, including through their funds, deposits, or employer collections. During a Supreme Court hearing, justices criticized the state for failing to implement this legal provision. Justice Yael Wilner expressed disbelief that even those willing to pay for their own flight tickets were unable to do so. Justice Noam Solberg called the situation "embarrassing" and noted that "a lot of money is wasted."

The state's representative explained that technical difficulties within the Prison Service prevent deportees from paying for their flights directly. Wilner responded that the situation was unacceptable, and Solberg emphasized the need to establish a mechanism to enable cost recovery. Following the petition and court discussions, an initial system was developed to collect part of the deportation expenses.

According to the state's update, 58 deportees were given the option to pay for their own flight tickets, while the rest contributed to the 860,000 shekels collected in the first half of the year. Currently, the collection covers only some deportation costs, but expanding it could save the public treasury millions of shekels annually.