940 ops against the illegals
Published on: Sat, Aug 02, 2025
By: Marutin Ansiung Text Size: Among the 141 illegal immigrants detained in Keningau. KENINGAU: Sabah Immigration carried out 940 enforcement operations across the State between January and July 28 to curb the entry and settlement of illegal immigrants. Its Director, Datuk Sharifah Sitti Saleha Habib Yusoff, said the operations, conducted in collaboration with various enforcement agencies, saw 17,410 people being screened from the Philippines, Indonesia, and other nationalities residing and working in Sabah. 'Of that number, 3,536 individuals were arrested for various offences under the Immigration Act 1959/63, including failure to produce valid documents, misuse of visit passes and overstaying their permitted duration,' she said. Sharifah stressed they would continue to carry out daily enforcement under its principle of 'no day without enforcement'. She said action was taken against 85 employers for hiring or harbouring foreigners without valid work permits — a serious offence under national laws. Firm action against employers remains one of the department's main focuses to deter the practice of employing PATI, which affects job opportunities for locals. Meanwhile, 141 illegal immigrants were detained in a separate enforcement operation carried out in and around Keningau district early Tuesday. The operation which began at around 12.30am ended at 4am, involved raids on two squatter areas — Balilingi and Bulu Silou — which were suspected of housing foreigners for a long time. 'A total of 216 individuals were screened during the integrated operation, involving 84 personnel, including officers from the Keningau, Tenom, Ranau, Sipitang, and Kota Kinabalu Immigration offices, supported by RELA members from Keningau District. 'Of those detained, 44 were adult women, 26 adult men, while the rest were male and female children. 'In total, 78 detainees were Filipinos and 63 were Indonesians, arrested for various immigration offences,' she said. Among the offences identified were the lack of valid identification documents under Section 6(1)(c) and overstaying under Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63. During the raids, there were attempts by some individuals to flee, but the situation was brought under control without any untoward incidents. All detainees are currently being held at the Papar Detention Depot for further action. The department assured that such operations will continue from time to time to ensure public safety, the rule of law and state security. In a related development, Sharifah hopes the issuance of temporary travel documents by the respective embassies for detained foreigners can be expedited. She said this involves the issuance of the SPLP (Surat Perjalanan Laksana Pasport) for Indonesian nationals and the Travel Document for Filipino citizens, which are essential for repatriation. She said many have been held in detention for three to four months waiting for these documents. 'If the embassies or consulates issue these documents, the detainees can be quickly repatriated to Indonesia and the Philippines,' she said. Sharifah noted that delays in identity verification and document issuance have led to overcrowding at the Temporary Detention Depot, placing pressure on its capacity and management. As of July 28, JIM Sabah carried out 100 deportation sessions involving the repatriation of 6,329 individuals by air and sea. 'We remain committed to enforcement efforts and will continue to work closely with all relevant agencies to safeguard national security and sovereignty,' she said. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
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