A total of 1,043 individuals suspected of being undocumented migrants have been detained by the Immigration Department following a two-day nationwide enforcement operation.
Immigration Department director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said 3,307 foreign nationals were inspected during the operation, which was carried out across the country based on public complaints and intelligence information.
He said Bangladeshis made up the largest group among those detained, with 370 individuals, followed by 328 Indonesians and 183 Myanmar nationals. Most of the detainees were men aged between 17 and 59.
“Based on the statistics from yesterday and today, 3,307 people were inspected and 1,043 were detained nationwide,” he said during a press conference at Apartment Suteramas in conjunction with Op Sasar.
Zakaria said the operation focused mainly on areas where foreign nationals were living, particularly locations identified through complaints from the public and intelligence gathered by enforcement teams.
Among the offences detected were failure to produce valid identification documents, breaches of pass conditions, overstaying, possession of unrecognised cards and other offences under the Immigration Act.
The department also issued 45 witness summonses to Malaysians during the operation to assist investigations. These included house owners suspected of harbouring foreign nationals without valid documents.
Zakaria said enforcement activities would continue to be intensified, with an average of more than five to six operations carried out nationwide every day following a rise in public complaints concerning the presence of foreign nationals.
He added that more than 31,000 foreign nationals had been repatriated so far this year, while around 28,000 had been placed in immigration detention depots as of July.
At the same time, the department is continuing its Migrant Repatriation Programme, which allows undocumented migrants to voluntarily surrender themselves, pay a RM500 compound and return to their respective countries safely.
Zakaria stressed that enforcement operations would continue to address the issue of undocumented migrants and curb the presence of foreign nationals staying in Malaysia without valid documentation.
