Woomera, South Australia and Woomera was chosen as a site for such a facility. The establishment of the Woomera Immigration Detention Centre in 1999, through the refurbishment of the original Woomera Village construction camp at 'Woomera West', eventually brought in new permanent staff (as the Nurrungar people were leaving) to settle and maintain the village population at around 1,200. The immigration detention centre, however, proved to be a highly controversial facility and it closed in early 2003 after only about 36 months of operation, at which point the land and buildings were handed back to the Defence Department. Following the closure of the
Illegal immigration from Africa to Israel Israelis have continued to show their support over the years for the community. Refugee Seders have been held each year during the Jewish holiday of Passover, most recently taking place at Holot detention facility to show solidarity and support to the men living in detention. Support for refugees and immigrants to Israel is also demonstrated through the work of numerous non-profit organizations, including Kav LaOved (Worker's Hotline), ARDC, ASSAF. In late 2017, early 2018, prominent North American Jewish organizations joined with Israeli NGO’s to decry Israel’s recent decisions to close Holot and deport asylum seekers. The Israeli demographer Arnon Soffer