So much for Islamic solidarity: African Muslims to be deported after Haj

Mariam Al Hakeem:

The Saudi authorities have deported 12,000 illegal African immigrants over the past few weeks for overstaying their Haj visas.

Arrangements were being made to deport more Africans, officials at the Passports Department said.

The Africans were rounded up from an area near Jeddah Islamic Seaport where they have been camping under bridges and in open space for weeks.

Thousands of pilgrims from various parts of the world come to the kingdom for Haj and Umrah (minor pilgrimage) and stay back in search of employment.

The African pilgrims, who were camping close to the port, ran out of money and were finding it difficult to stay without food, shelter and healthcare.

Captain Fahd Al Wedayani, director of the immigration section at the Passport Department, said they have deported 12,000 Africans and a very few remained to be sent back. "They will be sent home in the coming days," he said. The delay in deporting the illegal immigrants was caused due to problems in reservation of tickets, he added.

Why is it that so many other countries are good at deporting illegal immigrants and yet the United States is so bad at it? Could it be that our political representatives don't want to deal seriously with the problem?