SANAA, Jan. 2 (Saba) - The Australian authorities said on Wednesday they would close two detention centers for immigrants because of a large influx of illegal immigrants, local news reports said.
The closure of the Melbourne-based detention center (Maribyrnong) will be immediate, and the center in Sydney will be closed in May, Immigration Minister David Coleman told the Associated Press news agency.
The Edge reported in 2016 that the Maribyrnong center is the most stringent in terms of dealing with immigrants, where guards use force in different forms compared to other centers.
Coleman said the number of illegal immigrants had fallen.
Currently, there are 1,250 migrants being held in centers in Australia, along with some 1,000 migrants in foreign detention centers on the island of Nauru and Manus in Papua New Guinea.
By closing the centers, there are seven immigration detention centers in Australia, compared to 26 in 2013, where the authorities were holding 10,500 people at the time.
AA
Saba
The closure of the Melbourne-based detention center (Maribyrnong) will be immediate, and the center in Sydney will be closed in May, Immigration Minister David Coleman told the Associated Press news agency.
The Edge reported in 2016 that the Maribyrnong center is the most stringent in terms of dealing with immigrants, where guards use force in different forms compared to other centers.
Coleman said the number of illegal immigrants had fallen.
Currently, there are 1,250 migrants being held in centers in Australia, along with some 1,000 migrants in foreign detention centers on the island of Nauru and Manus in Papua New Guinea.
By closing the centers, there are seven immigration detention centers in Australia, compared to 26 in 2013, where the authorities were holding 10,500 people at the time.
AA
Saba