Kota Kinabalu: The State Immigration Department detained 130 illegal immigrants in a series of integrated enforcement operations across five districts recently to curb various immigration offences.
In a statement, JIM Sabah said the large-scale crackdown covered Kota Kinabalu, Keningau, Sandakan, Lahad Datu and Semporna via several operations, including Ops Kutip, Ops Selera, Ops Sapu, Ops Gegar, Ops Mahir and Ops Jaja.
“The arrests were made following thorough inspections of 541 individuals present at the raid locations.
“They were found to have violated provisions under the Immigration Act 1959/63, including failure to produce valid identification documents and misuse of pass conditions,” it said.
In Kota Kinabalu, 272 individuals were inspected, and 32 foreign nationals from the Philippines, Indonesia, India and Pakistan were detained. Meanwhile, 26 Filipinos and Indonesians were detained following inspections of 44 individuals in Keningau.
In Sandakan, the operation led to the arrest of 24 individuals, comprising Filipinos and Indonesians, after inspections of 84 individuals.
Operations in Lahad Datu recorded the highest number of arrests, with 33 illegal immigrants from the Philippines, Indonesia and Pakistan detained out of 114 individuals inspected.
In Semporna, 15 foreign nationals from China and Pakistan were detained following random checks on 27 individuals.
“JIM Sabah remains committed to intensifying operations to ensure full compliance with the country’s laws,” it said.
