Immigration: Delays in deporting migrants without legitimate documents

Maldives Immigration states they faced significant difficulties in deporting migrants at the authority’s Detention Centre who do not carry legitimate documentation.

Speaking at SSTV’s ‘Baaru Hathareh’ program, Immigration’s Deputy Head of Enforcement and Compliance Division Ismail Shareef said the authority faces significant difficulties in deporting the migrants at the Immigration Detention Centre.

In this regard, he detailed that some of the migrants brought under detention do not have legitimate documentation, adding Immigration also faces difficulties in locating their passports as well.

“We face many obstructions in deporting migrants. As they are residing illegally, they do not have legitimate documentation when it comes to deporting them. Hence, we have to locate the passport as it is usually with some agent. It is not an easy task to locate their passport itself,” Shareef said.

He also noted difficulties in identifying the nationality of undocumented migrants when it comes to deporting them. As their nationalities cannot be established, Shareef states Immigration cannot request the documents for the individual from the embassy of their respective nation via Foreign Ministry. Henceforth, he stressed that many migrants remain at the Detention Centre for months.

On the contrary, Shareef detailed that there are no major difficulties in deporting migrants with legitimate documentation. In this regard, he said migrants with legitimate documentation are deported within a week of being taken to the Detention Centre.

The current administration has launched a major initiative to resolve the prevalent issue of illegal immigration in the Maldives. Immigration has previously expressed hope to resolve the issue within the next two to three years.