Gambia: 31 Gambians Deported

allAfrica.com: Gambia: 31 Gambians Deported

Assan Sallah

15 June 2009

Banjul — 31 Gambians, last Friday afternoon, around 1:00pm, arrived at the Banjul International Airport, reportedly deported from Italy. Sources told the Daily Observer that the deportees were said to be illegal migrants who had been staying in Italy for some time now.

When contacted, the public relations officer of The Gambia Immigration Department, Commissioner Lamin Jatta, confirmed the story. He said that the deportees had arrived in Italy, after cruising through "the 'back way', with no documents on them." He added that these illegal migrants had been kept in a camp before being sent back to The Gambia.

PRO Jatta described this development as a normal routine which has been happening for many years. "Illegal migrants without any document in a foreign land are normally deported," he said. The Immigration PRO also informed the Daily Observer that the Immigration Department is helping these deportees to get back to their homes safely.