A special team from the Ministry of Justice and Public Order, along with the Ministry of Migration, is being formed immediately to address cases of illegal immigrants who refuse to leave Cyprus.
The decision to establish the team came following a meeting at the Ministry of Justice, attended by Minister Kostas Fytiris, Deputy Minister for Migration Nikolas Ioannides, and officials from the Aliens and Immigration Service and the Department of Immigration.
This new team aims to speed up the deportation process in cases where appeals by foreigners have been examined and rejected by the courts. As has been noted, in several cases, foreigners file appeals seeking to cancel detention and deportation orders or requesting residency permits. However, even after their appeals are rejected, some still refuse to leave the country.
These individuals are either in Cyprus illegally or have been convicted of crimes, yet they refuse to return to their country of origin.
Until now, in cases where the foreigner agreed to repatriation and there was consent from the country of origin, they could leave with financial assistance provided through European Union-funded programmes. Additionally, there is the option for mandatory deportation if the country of origin accepts the person’s repatriation.
The new team is expected to serve as a coordination mechanism between the two ministries, examining each case individually to ensure that all necessary procedures are followed and that decisions by European Union authorities are respected.
According to sources, there have been instances in the past where detention and deportation orders were issued without fully adhering to the required procedures, leading to foreign nationals winning their cases in court and being released.
Almost on a daily basis, decisions are made by the Administrative Court of International Protection, where foreigners held for deportation are released when their cases have not been reviewed within six months, as required by law.
At the same time, it appears that the process of releasing foreign detainees with simultaneous deportation, a measure aimed at reducing overcrowding in the Central Prison, has not proceeded as quickly as desired. To date, only a small number of detainees have been released, with the target being the release of approximately 130 individuals.