Children of migrant workers in Israel are putting on an art show at Tel Aviv’s Teder on Friday, marking the release of an NGO’s report on the conduct of Israeli authorities toward the families of migrant workers through recent decades. The report highlights efforts of human rights organizations and private lawyers in their efforts to prevent deportations and help regulate the status of children.
Entitled "Israeli at Heart," the report from the Hotline for Refugees and Migrants highlights the plight of hundreds of Israeli-born children of migrant workers who live without legal status in the only country they have ever known. The report, which reviews the legal status of these children and the history of government policy, documents a troubling pattern of misconduct by immigration authorities.
The exhibition, titled "Home is Here," will showcase works created by children of migrant workers in an art workshop led by artists Addam Yekutieli (Know Hope) and Ayala Meidan. The workshop focused on the experiences of undocumented children and their fears of deportation and arrest. The art show allows the children of workers, primarily from home care, to express their experiences without status through art.
The report details how consecutive Israeli governments have grappled with this issue, with past decisions in 2005, 2006, and 2010 granting permanent status to thousands of migrant children and their families. However, today, the children of migrant workers, many of whom are "sabra" students who know no other country, face the threat of deportation along with their parents, often in defiance of legal precedents.
The report notes that a government decision is the only way for these children to obtain legal status. The Inter-Ministerial Humanitarian Committee, which handles such cases, often rejects requests from families comprised solely of migrants, citing a lack of "special humanitarian grounds". Volunteer lawyers, however, have secured legal precedents that have helped prevent the deportation of some of these children. The report also documents numerous cases in which Population and Immigration Authority officials allegedly distort protocols, mistreat families, and disregard court rulings.
One of the teenagers involved in the exhibition, Jasmine, recounted her own frightening experience with immigration officials. "Not that long ago, last month, immigration came to me on the street," she said, recounting being asked for identification and where she was born. At 17 years old, she was not sure if questioning her in this manner was even legal. The experience left her with a "chilling feeling" and "worried and scared". Another young participant in the exhibition said he felt like he was "chained up" by the limits he faces.
For many children of migrants, Israel is the only country they have ever known
The report hopes to galvanize the Israeli public to prevent the deportation of these children, assist legal advocates, and encourage the Population and Immigration Authority to "begin respecting its procedures and its legal obligations". The exhibition itself is a collaboration between The Hotline for Refugees and Migrants, UCI – United Children of Israel, Teder, and Culture of Solidarity.
A special family-friendly exhibit will take place on Friday, August 22, at 12:00 at Tel Aviv's Teder, featuring live performances by the children, Filipino and Indian food, speeches, and merchandise stands.
Representatives from United Children of Israel (UCI), an organization dedicated to fighting the deportation of children born and raised in Israel, told the Jerusalem Post that as the government increases the amount of foreign workers coming from overseas, the government needs to take responsibility for them and their futures. "These are people. These are not robots. This is not commodity,” one of the exhibition organizers said. The parents who brought their children to Israel, many of whom are university-educated professionals themselves, believe the government has a responsibility to care for them.