British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume I - Page 219

CHAPTER VII.

documents, his particulars and photograph are forwarded to the Director General of Syrian Security Services, Damascus, in the case of a Syrian, and to the Chef des Services de la Police and de la Surete Generate, Beirut, in the case of a Lebanese, with the request that the nationality claim of the deportee be verified. If the claim is substantiated, the deportee is escorted to the frontier control concerned with a letter, addressed to the officer in charge, quoting the number and date of the letter from Syria or Lebanon as authority for acceptance. If, however, there is delay in obtaining a reply from the Syrian or Lebanese authorities the deportee is escorted to the frontier, where be is released and ordered to make his way into bis country of origin in the same way as he entered Palestine; this procedure obviates the obviously undesirable alternative of keeping illegal immigrants in detention for long periods; it is not, however, adopted in the case of women, children or Jews •of both sexes; these classes of person are kept in detention, unless bail is offered, until they are accepted by the Government concerned.

(b) Trans-Jordanians. The procedure is the same as in the case of Syrians and Lebanese. The correspondence is carried out with the officer-in-charge, Arab Legion. Amman.

(c) Egyptians. If in possession of a passport, an Egyptian illegal immigrant is escorted and banded over against receipt to the Egyptian passport and control officer at Kantara , who is in advance notified by telegraph of the date of arrival so that he can arrange for an escort. If be has no passport, he is produced before the Egyptian Consul in Jerusalem or Haifa for interrogation. If the Egyptian consular officer is satisfied as to the Egyptian nationality of the deportee he issues a travel document and the deportee is escorted and handed over to the Egyptian frontier authorities. If the Egyptian consular officer is not satisfied he refers the matter to his superiors in Egypt and deportation is held up until a reply is received. In cases where a reply is unduly delayed the deportee is released near the frontier and instructed to leave the country in the same way as he entered.

(d) Sudanese. Particulars are referred to the Sudan Agent in Cairo and deportation is held up until a reply is received. Ir the deportee is accepted by the Sudan Agent he is usually issued by the Egyptian Consul with an authority to pass through Egypt.

(e) Iraqis. If an Iraqi is in possession of a passport, a transit visa through Trans-Jordan is obtained and he is deported via Trans-Jordan (being escorted as far as Allen by Bridge) after a notification of his passage has been made to the officer in charge, Arab Legion, Amman. If he is not in possession of a passport, particular

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