STORY: 165 female immigrants deported from Libya to Nigeria
DATELINE: June 21, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:45
LOCATION: Tripoli
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the Libyan Illegal Immigration Control Department
2. various of illegal immigrants
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic): HAITHAM BELGASEM, Spokesman of Libyan Illegal Immigration Control Department

STORYLINE:

The Libyan Illegal Immigration Control Department on Tuesday deported 165 female illegal immigrants to their home country of Nigeria.

SOUNDBITE (Arabic): HAITHAM BELGASEM, Spokesman of Libyan Illegal Immigration Control Department
"Today, Tuesday, June 20, 2023, a group of female illegal migrants from Nigeria were deported to their country. Some of them were arrested as they were begging on the streets and others were arrested during raids on crime hideouts, by the Investigation and Information Collection Office of the department. About 165 female illegal migrants, all from Nigeria (were deported). Next week, another deportation flight will take place. More deportations will take place in the future."

According to the International Organization for Migration, nearly 7,500 illegal immigrants have been rescued and returned to Libya so far this year.

Due to the insecurity and chaos in the country since the fall of late leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011, many immigrants, mostly Africans, choose to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores via Libya.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Tripoli.
(XHTV)