Authorities Arrest 154 Suspected Illegal Immigrants

The Department of Immigration (DOI) says it has apprehended some 154 suspected illegal immigrants as part of a clean-up operation in Lusaka city. 

The operation, which took place early on Friday morning and was supported by the police, covered the Great North Road, Great East Road, Chongwe, Kafue Road, and Mumbwa road. The exercise also extended to Lusaka’s Central Business District, Kamwala, Chalala, Nyumba Yang, Kabulonga, Bauleni and Ibex Hill. 

The DOI’s public relations officer Namati Nshinka told reporters that the majority of those arrested had no documentation authorising their stay in Zambia, while others were in violation of their original immigration permits. 

After initial screening, 26 legitimate refugees were released unconditionally, with a further 28 being told to report to Immigration Headquarters for further assessment. 100 migrants have been detained pending prosecution.

Of those 100 detainees, 42 are Burundian, 22 Tanzanian, 20 Congolose, six Rwandan, four Zimbabweans and two Indians. There were also individual citizens from Angola, China, Egypt and Malawi. 

Mr Nshinka praised the officers conducting the operation for their impressive results and thanked the public for their cooperation. He urged Zambians to remain on the lookout for signs of potentially illegal immigration.

“This is particularly important because we cannot be at each and every place and thus we rely on them to report suspected illegal immigrants,” he said.