Immigration authorities in Zambia deported 129 prohibited immigrants who were among 153 arrested during an Easter service in Lusaka, the country’s capital, a senior official said on Monday. 
The Immigration Department arrested 153 prohibited immigrants who were attending an Easter celebration service and after a screening exercise, 23 were released upon producing valid documents.
Immigration Department Spokesperson Namati Nshinka said the department decided to deport the illegal immigrants last Friday in order to decongest the prisons.
“They were scheduled to appear in court for various immigration offenses but the department decided to remove them from the country in order to decongest the prisons where they had been detained,” he said in a statement.
Among those deported include 109 Burundians, 13 Tanzanians, six Congolese and one Rwandese.
The Immigration Department has started targeting churches which are seen as hiding dens for illegal immigrants. Enditem
Source: Xinhua
