Police Crackdown Targets Illegal Immigrants in Ajman

AJMAN - Hundreds of police backed by helicopters and sniffer dogs cordoned off an industrial area in Ajman on Thursday in an operation that the interior ministry said was aimed at flushing out illegal immigrants in the emirate.

By (Staff Reporter)

Published: Sat 28 Feb 2009, 1:58 AM

Last updated: Wed 8 Nov 2023, 9:38 AM

The Ministry of Interior said in a statement that similar operations will be conducted in other emirates. Authorities said several illegal immigrants were nabbed from Ajman.

General Shaikh Saif Abdullah Al Shaafar, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior, told Khaleej Times the government would notoffer fresh amnesty to offenders of the UAE’s residency laws as they had already been given several deadlines in the past to leave. The previous amnesty was announced in 2007.

“As a result ofthese violations, which threaten UAE’s security, Lt-General Shaikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Interior, instructedto launch inspection campaigns on every inch of the UAE toclearits soil fromviolators,” Gen. Al Shaafar said.

“The emirate of Ajman on Thursday witnessed intensive inspection, which resulted in thearrest of many violators of residence lawand infiltrators,’’ he said. General Al Shaafar said that the Ajman Naturalisation and Residency Department had taken legal steps against the offenders and those assisting them. The violators will be tried under law and handed suitable punishments.

In addition to the Ajman police, experts from Dubai police, sniffer dogs and three helicopters took part in the operation, a senior police officer said.

The operation began early on Thursday when police closed roads in and out of the industrial area. Brigadier Ali Alwan, Chief of Ajman Police, told Khaleej Times that the operation was carried out to control illegal workers and prevent smuggling of illegal items.

Ajman residents said there was confusion among people when police began preventing them from entering or leaving the main industrial area. Some said mobile phone services were affected. Eyewitnesses said that vehicles were allowed to enter the area after inspection by the afternoon.

“Some du customers might have faced a temporary difficulty relating to mobile services in some parts of the UAE. du would like to assure that its network support team swiftly investigated and resolved the issue,” the phone company said in a short statement.

Parents said children were late for school because buses were stuck in traffic. Schools faced some delay in dropping students back home and had to keep their pupils in till their buses returned to pick them up. Some parents also rushed to pick up children.

“Our primary class children couldn’t leave as usual at 12.15 since our buses were held in traffic. We rang up parents and informed them that the children would be delayed. There was some jam at the New Industrial area. However, they left in the second trip at 1.30,” said Malathi Das, principal of Ajman Indian School.