Israeli Government Yields to Supreme Court Pressure on Sudanese Migrant Status
The Israeli government is increasingly reluctant to confront the Supreme Court (High Court of Justice), leading to repeated concessions by the Population and Immigration Authority that grant thousands of Sudanese migrants temporary residency without formal decisions. This dynamic has turned fear of court rulings into de facto immigration policy. Recently, the Authority's director approved temporary status for a large group of Sudanese migrants to avoid a precedent-setting court ruling following a petition by attorney Michal Pomerantz.
The article argues that these developments, including erratic rulings by Tel Aviv District Court Judge Michal Agmon-Gonen, could have been avoided if Israel had enacted a formal immigration law and established a strong immigration police force under the Ministry of National Security. Instead, a combination of a hesitant government, an underfunded Interior Ministry, and the Supreme Court effectively managing immigration policy has created an untenable situation.
The background includes a 2021 Supreme Court ruling granting temporary residency to 2,445 Darfuris due to government delays in asylum processing. Subsequent court and ministerial decisions expanded this status to more Sudanese migrants. The latest move grants temporary residency to an additional 1,800 Sudanese, including some involved in criminal activities, allowing them to acquire property, business licenses, and even vote in municipal elections.
The government, described as right-wing, has not initiated significant deportation efforts since the failure of a third-country removal plan, blocked by the EU, Israeli left-wing groups, and the Supreme Court. The Population and Immigration Authority suffers from chronic staffing shortages, and legislation mandating deportation of migrants convicted of serious crimes remains unimplemented due to bureaucratic delays.
The article also highlights social tensions, noting that many longtime residents reject the migrants' integration despite their legal status. It mentions the closure of the Shorashim state-religious school in the Shapira neighborhood to expand a nearby school serving a majority of migrant children, illustrating demographic changes in local communities.
