Israel's new minister says to expel African asylum seeker

New Israeli Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked said on Monday that her ministry will work to expel African asylum seekers to their home countries, reported Xinhua.

"I will work to return infiltrators to their countries," Shaked said during a handover ceremony at the interior ministry in Jerusalem. "We must defend the borders and the country."

"Israel is a Jewish and democratic country and I will do my best to promote a responsible immigration policy," she added.

Tens of thousands of asylum seekers, mainly from Eritrea and Sudan, live in Israel, according to the former Israeli government. Israel calls them infiltrators and has deported some of them.