Employers, doctors, and teachers are being made the scapegoats for Labour's ill thought out ad-hoc refugee policy, National Immigration Spokesperson Marie Hasler said today.

"The fact that almost 1800 asylum-seekers, all of whom have been refused refugee status, are living, working, and using the New Zealand health system, raises the question of what "processing" actually achieves.

"What the Government is doing is putting the onus on other departments to clean up the problems it has created with loose refugee policy.

"Once here, often without proof of identity, it is quite unrealistic to return refugees to their country of origin and the Government should take this important factor into account when offering asylum.

"Instead, the Minister makes empty promises to 'crack down' on illegal overstayers, knowing that threat to be impossible.

"In light of the events of 11 September, we should very carefully re-assess our refugee policy, realising the difficulties of repatriating asylum seekers," said Ms Hasler today.

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