The Egyptian government has proposed a draft bill to amend a law on the illegal immigration-related crimes, Prime Minister Sherif Ismail told reporters on Saturday.
The amendments aim to “toughen penalties and introduce deterrent penalties for those involved in any activities related to illegal immigration,” he added.
The bill comes a week after a boat named ‘Mawkeb al Rasol’, drowned about 12 nautical miles northeast of Beheira’s city of Rosetta with over 600 illegal migrants on board.
More than 150 people from countries, including Sudan, Eritrea and Somali have been rescued by the Egyptian authorities over the past two days.
