Two “Chareidi” women who landed in Ben-Gurion on Friday night aroused the suspicion of inspectors of the Population and Immigration Authority (PIBA) and were detained for questioning.

The two women, aged 41 and 59, who had arrived on a flight from Georgia were revealed as non-Jewish Georgian citizens, Ynet reported.

The women intended to settle in Israel and find work as (illegal) foreign workers. Instead, they were swiftly sent back to their country of origin. Apart from the two women, 20 additional travelers who tried to enter Israel illegally over the weekend were detained and sent back to their country of origin.

The report added that PIBA inspectors have seen a recent surge of Georgian citizens who arrive in Israel with tourist visas but intend to settle illegally in Israel and find work. Their most common method to attempt to fool PIBA inspectors is to impersonate airport employees, including fake employee badges and uniforms that closely resemble employees or controllers. Inspectors are familiar with the method and the passengers in question are routinely detained and refused entry.

The inspectors were surprised by the new method attempted by the “Chareidi” women, who knew enough to dress modestly, including long sleeves, skirts, and head coverings but were apparently unaware that Chareidi women don’t travel on Shabbos.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)