Roundup on Empty Streets Turns Out to Be Empty Handed

"Please let me go!"

"As you are not carrying your passport or identification card, you have to come with us to the migration center to prove your status."

It was 11 a.m. on Monday when a major joint roundup cracked down on illegal foreign workers.

Kim, a 60-year old man, was arrested in a Korean-Chinese residential area in Daerim-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul and taken to a riot-police bus. He cried out outrageously while begging joint roundup officers to let him go.

Kim`s arrest was made as his son-in-law reported his illegal status to the Immigration Bureau. Kim`s son-in-law had been bearing a grudge against his wife, who is also an illegal immigrant.

"I do not even have enough money to pay my flight ticket back to China and even worse, I now have no clue where my daughter is. What on the earth do you expect me to do?" Kim said.

In the meantime, an inspection team suddenly entered a Chinese restaurant in Ansan-si, Gyeonggi Province. A 36 year-old Chinese-Korean worker, identified as Choi and was working in the restaurant, plumped down on the floor and began to appeal for mercy, saying, "It is unfair."

"I did not know whether I had to report the change," Choi said. I merely changed workplaces. I never harmed anyone. Why do I have to be deported?"

He was taken into custody for `changing workplaces without notice.` Those who have changed workplaces without notice are also subject to deportation. Many foreign workers were caught in the crackdown for changing jobs without permission.

A total of 400 officers of the Justice Ministry and police officers in 50 different roundup teams nationwide began their crackdown, but limited their efforts to mainly restaurants, merry-making places, and streets instead of factories and lodgings out of fear that it may arouse public criticism on human rights issues.

However, the roundup efforts were not much effective as most of the illegal foreign residents hid themselves away to avoid the crackdown.

The Seoul Office of the Immigration Bureau (SOIB) also conducted a roundup on places like motels and restaurants in Oryu-dong and Daerim-dong in Guro-gu, but hardly found any undocumented foreigners. Roundup efforts were also conducted at merry-making places and restaurants in Goyang-si, Paju-si and Uijeongbu-si in Gyeonggi Province, where an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 illegal migrant workers stay. But the operation was not very successful as of Monday afternoon.

Not many people were seen on the streets of villages where many foreigners used to stay, but instead many fliers advertising houses-for-rent and Jeonse (a uniquely Korean housing rental system, under which tenants pay a lump-sum deposit) were posted on almost every wall of each house.

In addition, as anticipated, fake foreign worker certificates were also found. Two Indonesian workers, including 22 year-old Milkowau Huhwantoro, were caught by an inspection team for producing fake foreigner registration certificates.

"My boss gave me the fake certificate and told me I will be safe if I carry it," Huhwantoro said.

Even if a large scale roundup is conducted, there is a lack of facilities to contain those caught. At the moment there are 16 detention centers across the country, where only 1,300 foreigners can be taken in. Considering the shortage of detention facilities, the Justice Ministry set its internal police to crack down only 1,300 foreigners for 10 days.

"We will try to overcome the accommodation shortage by deporting illegal foreigners in the facilities as soon as possible, so as to contain foreigners caught in following roundups," said Moon Chun-hwa, a senior inspector of the SOIB.

In the meantime, the ministry announced Monday that 23,441 foreigners subject to deportation voluntarily left the country during the voluntary departure period from September to November 15, and currently some 100,000 illegal aliens are in Korea.