The Lindela Repatriation Centre on the West Rand is bursting at the seams, the usual overcrowding made even more horrendous by the influx of foreigners netted in raids prompted by the recent spate of xenophobic attacks. The government hopes the raids will convince a sceptical public that it is dealing with illegal immigrants, blamed by locals for stealing jobs and "our women".Today we publish a story that looks beyond the police raids and focuses on what is happening to those detained at Lindela.It is troubling that most of the foreigners at the centre are locked up for weeks, and in some cases for months, before being repatriated.Although we support the government's decision to raid " trouble spots" and remove illegal immigrants, due care has not been taken to fast-track the repatriations.It is a violation of human rights to detain people for months while the state dawdles with repatriations.The raids should have coincided with the introduction of improved processes at Lindela to lessen the number of days those arrested spend under lock and key.Government spokesman Phumla Williams said yesterday that it was not surprising that there had been an increase in the number of people detained at Lindela.She was quick to point out that repatriations were slow because they involved dealings with other countries.There has to be an interaction between the department and the detainee's purported country of origin. There has to be verification of the detainee's true nationality.The pace at which this correspondence takes place differs from country to country, said Williams.Although Pretoria has a duty to deal with xenophobia and the violence associated with it, it should avoid creating new problems that will taint our human rights record.Human rights should be at the centre of our dealings with illegal immigrants and their repatriation...