Illegal Chinese still in custody

Sources said investigators are struggling to get information from the men such as their names because of a language barrier as none of the detainees speak English.

Sources said once the relevant travel documents are processed, the men will be deported back to their homeland. Sources added that investigators still do not know who is the owner of the building where the immigrants were living and also working.

Corporate Communications Manager in the Ministry of National Security Marcia Hope yesterday said while there is no fixed time limit in which an individual can be held at the immigration detention facility, the Ministry seeks to process illegal immigrants and return them to their home countries as quickly as possible.

“The ministry hopes we can resolve all issues as soon as possible.

But many times, we are challenged as apart from documentation its challenging for government to return people to distant countries in Africa or Asia as there is a cost factor involved not only for the individuals themselves but also for officers who must escort them back to their homeland,” Hope said.

Hope said immigration officials are faced with challenges in accurately identifying detainees and their country of origin as many lie about their nationality or do not have any supporting documentation of their true identity.

“Many persons give us false documents. Sometimes they don’t give us travel documents so you can’t verify their name, you can’t verify where they’re from exactly.

All we can do is go through the normal diplomatic channels and liaise with the embassy of that country to prove whether the person, based on the name provided, is in fact a national.” Hope added that while there are major challenges to the smooth operation of the Immigration arm of National Security, the Ministry continues to partner with embassies and consulates to properly identify and monitor illegal immigrants.