Latest news with #OpsMahir
Daily Express
4 days ago
- Daily Express
Sandakan crackdown nets 238 illegals
Published on: Thursday, June 05, 2025 Published on: Thu, Jun 05, 2025 By: Winnie Kasmir Text Size: Some of the illegal immigrants detained in Sandakan. SANDAKAN: A 12-hour large-scale immigration crackdown saw 238 undocumented migrants detained here early Wednesday. Sabah Immigration Department Director Datuk Sh Sitti Saleha Habib Yussof said a total of 480 individuals were screened during the operation which began around 1.30am and ended before noon. The integrated operation, codenamed 'Ops Sapu' and 'Ops Mahir', targeted squatter settlements, construction sites and wood-processing factories at four hotspots, including Batu 8 and Batu 10 settlements. The operation involved 71 officers from the Sandakan, Tawau, Lahad Datu and Kota Kinabalu districts, as well as the department's enforcement division. 'The 238 people detained comprise 88 adult men, 88 adult women, 30 boys and 32 girls,' she said. They were detained for not possessing valid documents under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, overstaying under Section 15(1)(c), misuse of passes under Section 39(b) and employing undocumented migrants under Section 55B, among other offences. Of that number, 6,058 individuals have been deported to their countries of origin, while 53 employers have been prosecuted. 'We remind employers in Sabah to cooperate by ensuring that their workers have valid travel documents before hiring them, especially in factories or the construction sector, to avoid facing legal action,' said Sitti. She said such enforcement operations will continue in districts, including Semporna, Kota Kinabalu, Tawau and Sandakan, to uphold immigration laws across the State. She warned that action will be taken against employers and premises owners found hiring undocumented foreigners or individuals violating the conditions of their passes. Sitti advised employers to only hire foreign workers through legal channels, saying enforcement operations will be intensified to combat the presence of undocumented migrants. * 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. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
The Star
5 days ago
- General
- The Star
238 undocumented migrants held in Sandakan raids
Undocumented migrants are escorted onto an immigration enforcement truck following a raid in Sandakan. KOTA KINABALU: An immigration crackdown in Sandakan saw 238 undocumented migrants detained within 12 hours during large-scale integrated operations early Wednesday (June 4). The operations, codenamed Ops Sapu and Ops Mahir, targeted squatter settlements, construction sites and wood-processing factories. They began at around 1.30am and covered four hotspots, including Batu 8 and Batu 10 settlements. Sabah Immigration Department director Datuk Sh Sitti Saleha Habib Yussof said a total of 480 individuals were screened during the raids, which ended before noon. The operations involved 71 officers from the Sandakan, Tawau, Lahad Datu and Kota Kinabalu districts, as well as the department's enforcement division. 'The 238 people detained comprise 88 adult men, 88 adult women, 30 boys and 32 girls,' she said in a statement. They were detained for not possessing valid documents under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, overstaying under Section 15(1)(c), misuse of passes under Section 39(b), and employing undocumented migrants under Section 55B, among other offences. To date, 2,730 undocumented migrants have been detained across Sabah this year, out of more than 13,850 people checked. Of that number, 6,058 individuals have been deported to their countries of origin, while 53 employers have been prosecuted. 'We remind employers in Sabah to cooperate by ensuring that their workers have valid travel documents before hiring them, especially in factories or the construction sector, to avoid facing legal action,' said Sitti. She said such enforcement operations will continue in districts including Semporna, Kota Kinabalu, Tawau and Sandakan to uphold immigration laws across the state. Meanwhile, on Tuesday (June 3), the department carried out a repatriation programme involving 127 undocumented migrants, transferring them from the Tawau Immigration Depot to Nunukan, Indonesia via ferry. Those deported included 105 adult men, 19 adult women, three boys and one girl, ranging in age from one month to 64 years. The children sent back were accompanied by their parents or legal guardians. The detainees were found to have violated Sections 15(1)(c) and 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for overstaying and entering the country without valid documentation. They had completed their prison terms and were returned after their travel documents were processed. All have been blacklisted in the department's system according to the nature of their offences. To date, 1,173 Indonesian nationals have been deported via sea, contributing to the overall figure of 6,053 foreign nationals repatriated this year. Immigration has warned that action will be taken against employers and premises owners found hiring undocumented foreigners or individuals violating the conditions of their passes. It urged employers to only hire foreign workers through legal channels, adding that enforcement operations will be intensified to combat the presence of undocumented migrants.
The Star
07-05-2025
- The Star
Foreign worker breaks leg escaping Immigration raid in JB
JOHOR BARU: A Bangladeshi national has broken his left leg after jumping into a 10-foot drain trying to evade arrest during an Immigration Department raid at a construction site here. When the raid began, many foreign workers were seen fleeing the construction site at Taman Suria by jumping into the drain, while some even dashed across a busy road, endangering their own lives and those of passing motorists. It is learnt that the injured immigrant, who is in his 30s, shouted in pain when Immigration Department personnel pulled him out of the drain. Johor Immigration director Mohd Rusdi Mohd Darus said that the injured immigrant was handed over to the Civil Defence Force (APM) for immediate medical treatment at a nearby hospital. He added that during the 10.30am raid, dubbed Ops Mahir, the department inspected 215 foreign and local workers at the location here on Wednesday (May 7). 'Out of that total, we arrested 189 individuals who are believed to have no valid work permits or legal status in the country. 'Of those detained, 165 are Bangladeshi nationals, 18 are from Myanmar, and nine are Indonesian,' he said in a press conference held at the raid location. Mohd Rusdi added that all detained migrants will be taken to the Johor Immigration Department headquarters at Taman Setia Tropika here for further processing before being placed in the Pekan Nanas Immigration Detention Depot. 'We want to remind employers to hire workers through legal channels. Should any complaints arise, inspections will be conducted, and if any wrongdoing is found, firm action will be taken. 'All arrests of these illegal immigrants were made under Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963; Section 6(1)(c) and Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63,' he added. Mohd Rusdi also said that the raid involved 120 officers and personnel from the Johor Immigration Enforcement Division, as well as officers and personnel from the Sultan Iskandar Building and the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex. 'Johor Immigration Department is committed to ensuring that every employer in the state, across all sectors, complies with the law by hiring foreign workers in accordance with our country's legal requirements,' he said.
