No warrant needed to raid premises hiring foreigners, says Immigration
KUALA TERENGGANU: The state Immigration department does not require a search warrant to raid premises suspected of hiring foreign workers, as its officers are authorised to carry out such duties.
State Immigration director Mohd Yusri Mohd Nor said raids on premises suspected of employing foreigners were routine operations conducted by enforcement officers to verify documents and inspect those involved.
"Business owners and factory operators should not dispute the actions taken by immigration officers if all foreign workers have valid documents and are not violating any laws," he said while leading Ops Gempur Sasar at three factories around Kuala Terengganu yesterday.
He was responding to an incident during the operation in which a factory supervisor reprimanded a security guard for allowing the Immigration Department's enforcement team to enter the premises without management approval.
During the seven-hour operation, which began at 10am, a total of 593 individuals, including 212 foreigners working at the three factories, were inspected.
Following checks, seven foreigners, aged between 24 and 37, were arrested for misusing their passes or permits.
The Nepali nationals were found to have committed offences under Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963. If convicted, they could face a fine of up to RM10,000, imprisonment for up to six months, or both.
A local individual, believed to be the employer, was issued a notice to report to the state Immigration Department to give a statement regarding the offence of employing undocumented migrants.
Meanwhile, Mohd Yusri urged employers with undocumented foreign workers to voluntarily repatriate them under the Migrant Repatriation Programme 2.0 (PRM 2.0), which began on May 19 and will run until April 30 next year.
He said 26 employers found guilty of hiring undocumented foreigners were fined a total of RM270,000 last year.
"This year, six employers have been fined RM60,000 up to early May for employing undocumented migrants, while three other cases are pending court proceedings," he said.
Mohd Yusri added that enforcement operations to arrest undocumented migrants and their employers would continue throughout the PRM 2.0 period.
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