Malaysia’s Immigration Department (JIM) has detained 41,596 undocumented migrants through 7,105 enforcement operations involving 96,994 inspections nationwide as of July 15, underscoring its intensified crackdown on illegal immigration.
Immigration Director-General Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the department will continue strengthening enforcement under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 (ATIPSOM) and the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) to ensure strict compliance with the Immigration Act 1959/63.
“We will use every legal provision available to ensure those involved in illegal activities are brought to justice, especially those who are still at large,” he said.
“We will continue taking firm action without compromise. We do not want immigration-related offences to become a cancer in this country,” he added.
During the operation, immigration officers detained 58 foreign nationals aged between 20 and 45 at two electronic waste processing factories.
The integrated operation, which began at 11am, involved 77 enforcement personnel from the Immigration Department, Labour Department and Department of Environment.
Zakaria said all 58 individuals were detained after failing to produce valid identification documents.
“It is possible their documents are being held by their employer. We will detain them first and then engage with the employer to verify their immigration status,” he said.
He added that the department found the premises equipped with closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems used to monitor the movement of enforcement officers, allowing workers to hide or flee before raids.
“This is a common modus operandi that we have encountered during our enforcement operations,” he said.
