TRNC crackdown on illegal immigrants

Thousands of people, mostly from Turkey, have been expelled from The Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) as the government crackdown on illegal immigrants who have been working on the island, said a Turkish Cypriot source. The TRNC parliament amended an immigration law last month that called on clandestine workers to declare themselves by July 1, or face deportation. Authorities have been conducting checks on work places and slapping heavy fines on those found to be outside the law, the source said. "A total of 27,000 illegal workers declared themselves to the authorities ahead of the changes in the law and have legalized their stay," said Turkish Cypriot labour leader minister Adem Sonay. Since July 1, a total of almost 8,000 illegal immigrants have left the island from the ports of Kyrenia in the north and Famagusta in the east. However, Turkish Cypriots estimate that there are around 60,000 illegal immigrants on the island. Movement between Turkey and TRNC is easy for Turkish citizens who only have to show their ID cards to gain access to the island. Â