DUSHANBE, August 7, 2013, Asia-Plus – After getting information about detention of 600 migrant workers at the fruit and vegetable depot in the Moscow oblast, representatives of the Tajik migration service agency’s office in Moscow have gone to the city of Dolgoprudny and met with senior representatives of local law enforcement authorities, Ibrohim Ahmadov, a spokesman for the Tajik migration service agency’s office in Moscow, told Asia-Plus today.
According to him, the deputy chief of the Dolgoprudny police department, Vyacheslav Tikhvinskiy, told them that the raid resulted in detention of 600 foreign citizens.
“Administrative protocols have been drawn up on 200 people, including 100 nationals of Tajikistan; 26 people, including 14 Tajik nationals, are liable for deportation,” said Tikhvinskiy. “Two other Tajik citizens face charge of showing fraud documents.”
He further added that Russian migration authorities would intensify raids on illegal migrant workers after August 9.
Amendments made to Russia’s federal immigration legislation increase penalties for violation of federal immigration law in Moscow, Moscow oblast, St. Petersburg and Leningrad oblast beginning on August 9.
We will recall that police in Moscow in the past week arrested 1,400 immigrants from Vietnam, Azerbaijan, Syria, Morocco, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Egypt. More than 600 have been forced into a sweltering tent camp to await deportation.
Russian migration authorities, meanwhile, have called for more than 80 detention centers to be built nationwide, signaling that the battle against illegal workers is gathering steam.
Observers say the sweep is aimed at currying favor with nationalist-minded Russians ahead of regional elections next month.
