Libyan security forces have detained approximately 1,500 undocumented foreign workers near Tripoli, authorities announced, stating the operation was aimed at “containing the problem of illegal immigration in Libya.”
The pre-dawn police raid took place in the al-Sabaa suburb “under the direct supervision of Labor Minister Ali al-Abed,” the ministry said in a statement. Inspectors from the labor ministry, the Agency to Combat Illegal Immigration, and municipal police were present during the operation.
Minister Abed told journalists that inspections uncovered residences housing irregular foreign workers of various nationalities who lacked residence permits, official passports, and even medical records. He stated that hundreds of foreigners, primarily Egyptians but also from sub-Saharan Africa, have lived for years within a walled compound secured by a large gate. An AFP journalist observed a minimarket, a butcher shop, and fruit and vegetable vendors inside the compound.
“About 1,500 foreigners live in this camp,” Abed said. “They will be transferred to the centers of the Authority for Combating Illegal Migration. Legal proceedings will be initiated against them” ahead of their potential deportation to their respective countries.
The operation follows an announcement in early July by the head of Libya’s national unity government, Abdelhamid Dbeibah, who met with European officials in Tripoli and outlined a plan to combat illegal migration. Libya’s Interior Minister, Imad Trabelsi, estimates that between 3 and 4 million migrants who “entered illegally” are currently in Libya, located approximately 300 kilometers from the Italian coast.