Security guards foils illegal immigrants

CAIRO – 19 August 2017: Security guards of Al-Burlus police station stopped 47 people who attempted to cross Mediterranean to Europe, and arrested those who assisted the immigrants, according to the Ministry of Interior.

This came after police received information about two brokers who were gathering a number of Egyptian and foreign people in boats to cross the Mediterranean, travelling to a foreign country in exchange for money.

The Egyptian Parliament approved in October a new illegal-immigration and smuggling law, including tough penalties on whoever assists and facilitates the process of illegal immigration. The law was drafted by the Cabinet in 2015, and was sent in June 2016 to the Parliament for discussion.

The Parliament’s efforts to approve the law came following the boat that capsized off the coast of Rashid in Beheira governorate while heading to Europe, killing dozens of people.