TAWAU: A total of 32 undocumented migrants were rounded up during an enforcement operation conducted by the Sabah Immigration Department in Tawau and Semporna on Nov 8.
Of those detained, 24 were arrested in Tawau, comprising 14 Indonesians and 10 Filipinos. The remaining eight were detained in Semporna, including seven Chinese nationals and one Filipino.
The operation was led by State Immigration Director Datuk SH Sitti Saleha Habib Yussof, with 102 enforcement officers deployed from various divisions and immigration offices.
A total of 324 individuals were screened during the operation, with 218 checks conducted in Tawau and 106 in Semporna. The enforcement exercise involved several special operations, including Ops Jaja, Ops Belanja, Ops Kutip, Ops Sapu and Ops Mahir.
In Semporna, inspections at a resort led to the arrest of seven Chinese men suspected of misusing their Social Visit Passes to work in the country.
Further checks found that the resort had not applied for expatriate worker permits and did not possess a Semporna District Council licence or a tourism operating licence.
Meanwhile, inspections at a construction company in Mile 1½, Bubul, found that six expatriate workers held valid extended passes and complied with immigration requirements.
All those arrested were taken to the Tawau Immigration Office for further action under the Immigration Act 1959/63.
Sitti Saleha said enforcement operations would continue to be intensified at strategic locations across the state to curb illegal immigration.
She also reminded employers to comply with all regulations and procedures governing the recruitment of foreign workers. – James Leong
Immigration officers check the documents of two individuals during the operation.
