Immigration Department Detains Over 57,000 Illegal Immigrants Nationwide

KUALA TERENGGANU, Sept 21 – The Immigration Department of Malaysia has detained more than 57,000 illegal immigrants across the country following 9,700 enforcement operations conducted from Jan 1 to Sept 17.

Immigration Department deputy director-general (Operations) Datuk Lokman Effendi Ramli confirmed that the detainees were picked up for various immigration offenses. Over the same period, 1,720 employers were also prosecuted for violations under the Immigration Act 1959/63.

“Cumulatively, the Immigration Department conducted three operations every two hours. I also want to remind everyone that prosecution is not limited to foreign nationals, but also employers who violate regulations and the law,” Lokman Effendi said after an integrated operation code-named Ops Mega at the Sri Kolam Flats.

He also urged members of the public to assist enforcement agencies by reporting any unlawful activities through official channels rather than taking matters into their own hands.

“I would also like to remind those with information or aware of the presence of foreign nationals to report to us officially. Do not act on your own. Provide us with complete information to enable the authorities to carry out their duties accordingly,” he added.

During the early morning operation in Terengganu, conducted jointly with the National Security Council and the Civil Defence Force, authorities inspected 133 foreign nationals and detained 19 illegal immigrants. Those arrested included one Bangladeshi man, 14 Myanmar nationals, and four Indonesians, with ages ranging from a one-month-old infant to 50 years old.

Addressing the circumstances of the arrests, Lokman Effendi noted that seven Myanmar women, including the mother of the infant, had recently entered Malaysia through unauthorized agents to join their husbands already living in the country.

–NMT