CAIRO (AP) — An Egyptian airport official says the government has deported 93 Ethiopians who entered Egypt with hopes of crossing the Sinai desert into Israel illegally.
The airport official says 42 Ethiopians were repatriated on Sunday and another 51 were sent back home a day earlier.
The official says the migrants crossed into Egypt from its southern border with Sudan two weeks ago. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters.
Most of the migrants make the long and dangerous journey through Egypt to Israel in search of jobs.
The Israeli government estimates that, since 2006, some 50,000 Africans have illegally entered southern Israel through its 150 mile (250-kilometer) long border with Egypt's Sinai desert.
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