Warrant Needed to Crack Down on Illegal Foreigners

By Lee Tae-hoon
Staff Reporter

A bill has been proposed that would require immigration officers to submit a court-issued warrant before entering a building or house to search for undocumented immigrants.

Rep. Lee Chun-seok of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) proposed a revision bill Monday that calls for overhauling the Immigration Control Law.

The Human Rights Commission has repeatedly recommended the government revise the law that permits immigration crackdowns with a warrant.

The commission expressed concern that immigration officers tend to enter workplaces employing illegal foreigners without producing IDs and carry out raids without seeking permission, often inflicting physical injury.

Three people were killed and 24 were wounded during crackdowns between January 2005 and August 2009, according to the Ministry of Justice.

Under the proposal, night raids would be banned, even if a warrant is issued.

Instead, the bill calls for random questioning in accordance with the rules that apply to Korean nationals.

The bill also would remove a provision that bans political activities of foreigners, as Korea has already granted suffrage to them in certain elections.

In May 2005, the government revised the Election Law to allow foreigners who have lived in Korea for more than three years to vote in local elections.

Foreign absentee voters are already allowed to cast ballots by mail or at their embassies here.

The number of illegal aliens decreased to 181,331 in October, down from 210,596 during the same period a year ago, according to the Korean Immigration Service.

The bill also calls for excluding foreigners who have received a suspended sentence from a local court from deportation.

In addition, if a suspected illegal alien challenges a deportation order, the government must complete the review of his or her right to stay here within 20 days.

The bill also would require the immigration service to provide deportation orders and documents that explain the process to foreigners in their native languages.

leeth@koreatimes.co.kr

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