Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Immigration Department detained 24 illegal immigrants during enforcement operations conducted over two days in the state capital.
The operations, comprising Ops Mahir, Ops Sapu, Ops Selera and Ops Gegar, were carried out from Jan 15 to 16 and involved 29 officers from the Kota Kinabalu headquarters.
During the sweeps, authorities inspected six premises and screened 111 individuals comprising Malaysian citizens and foreigners.
The 24 detained illegal immigrants consisted of 10 men and 14 women. They included 15 Filipinos and nine Indonesians.
All those arrested are believed to have violated Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for failing to produce valid travel documents and passes.
The detainees were taken to the Papar Immigration Depot for further action in accordance with existing legal provisions.
The Sabah Immigration Department in its Facebook page said that enforcement operations will continue with a focus on combating the presence of illegal immigrants and ensuring full compliance with the country’s immigration laws.
The Department has been conducting regular operations throughout Sabah as part of ongoing efforts to address illegal immigration issues in the state, which shares maritime borders with the southern Philippines and Indonesian territories.
