Latest news with #SittiSalehaHabibYussof
The Star
30-07-2025
- The Star
Sabah Immigration Dept nabs 141 during major raid in Keningau
Some of the illegal immigrants being checked by Immigration officers during a raid in Sabah's interior Keningau. KOTA KINABALU: A total of 141 illegal immigrants from the Philippines and Indonesia were detained during a major operation by the Immigration Department in Sabah's interior Keningau district. Sabah Immigration Department director Datuk Sitti Saleha Habib Yussof reported that 216 people were checked during the operation, with 141 foreigners detained on suspicion of committing various immigration offences. Those detained include 10 men, 38 women, 38 boys, and 31 girls from the Philippines, as well as 16 men, six adult women, and two girls from Indonesia. Sitti Saleha stated that all those arrested were sent to the Papar Immigration Detention Depot for investigation and further action under various offences of the Immigration Act 1959/63. Illegal immigrants being detainedby Immigration officers following a raid in illegal settlements in Keningau. In a statement on Wednesday (Jan 30), she noted that the predawn operations on Tuesday (Jan 29) were carried out following public complaints and intelligence gathered over a month against two specific migrant settlements in the interior district. Some 84 immigration enforcement officers from Keningau, Tenom, Ranau, Sipitang, and Kota Kinabalu conducted the raid with the assistance of RELA personnel in Keningau. The raid took place from 12.30am to 4am on Tuesday. Sitti Saleha affirmed that her department will continue to take firm action against anyone found to have committed offences under the Immigration Act 1959/63, the Passport Act 1966, the Immigration Regulations 1963, and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 (ATIPSOM). "We will also act against those harbouring or employing illegal immigrants," she added.
The Star
25-07-2025
- The Star
Unregistered cross-national marriages result in children without papers, Sabah Immigration says
SANDAKAN: Many children in Sabah end up undocumented when their parents — one a local, the other a foreigner - married without registering their union, says Sabah Immigration Department director Datuk Sh. Sitti Saleha Habib Yussof. She said this has become a common issue in the state, as these couples often undergo informal 'kahwin kampung' (village marriage) ceremonies, without obtaining legal marriage certificates. 'When their children are born, there is no way to properly register the birth, because the marriage itself is not legally recognised,' she said in a press conference here on Friday (July 25). Sitti Saleha advised parents in this situation to come forward to the Immigration Department for guidance, especially on how to help the foreign spouse apply for valid documentation. 'This process usually requires the local Malaysian spouse to act as a sponsor or guarantor to support the foreign spouse's passport application through their embassy,' she added. Meanwhile, Sitti Saleha said the number of Pakistani detainees in Sabah's immigration depots has been increasing, with 14 currently held at the Sandakan depot. Across all four depots in the state, there has been a noticeable upward trend of arrests involving Pakistan nationals. 'We're concerned because this is a new trend, and it's something we're closely monitoring,' she said.
The Star
17-05-2025
- The Star
769 Filipino detainees deported
Deportation of Filipinos. KOTA KINABALU: A total of 769 Philippine nationals, including 191 children, have been deported to their home country. Sabah Immigration Department director Datuk Sitti Saleha Habib Yussof said the group was sent to Zamboanga City via sea on Thursday. Prior to their deportation, they had spent months, and in some cases years, in custody at Immigration depots in Papar, Sandakan and Tawau. Sitti Saleha said the group of illegal immigrants comprised 438 men, 140 women, 98 boys and 93 girls, aged between three months and 73. 'This is part of our ongoing efforts to deport all the detainees in our detention centres statewide,' she said. A total of 4,762 Filipinos have been deported so far this year.
The Star
16-05-2025
- The Star
Sabah Immigration Dept deports 769 to the Philippines
KOTA KINABALU: After months in detention, and several years for a few, 769 Philippines nationals, including infants and retirees, were finally deported on Thursday (May 15). The detainees, who were in the Papar, Sandakan and Tawau depots, were sent back to Zamboanga City via sea routes, said Sabah Immigration Department director Datuk Sitti Saleha Habib Yussof. She said those involved in this operation comprised 438 men, 140 women, 98 boys and 93 girls, aged between three months old and 73. She said children were sent back with their guardians or parents in this operation. 'This is part of our ongoing effort to deport all the detainees in our detention centres stateside,' said Sitti, adding that they have deported a total of 4,762 Filipinos to date this year. She said these illegal immigrants have undergone their jail terms for various immigration and other laws. She said the department was working closely with other agencies to facilitate the quick and smooth deportation of all its detainees to avoid congestion and lengthy detentions.
Borneo Post
02-05-2025
- Borneo Post
13 Pakistani and Indian nationals deported from Sabah
The Pakistani and Indian nationals at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport. KOTA KINABALU (May 2): Thirteen Pakistani and Indian nationals have been deported back to their countried by the State Immigration Department for staying in the state illegally. Sabah Immigration Director SH Sitti Saleha Habib Yussof, in a statement on Friday said the illegal immigrants were deported by air from the Kota Kinabalu International Airport on May 1. She said seven of the Pakistanis were from the Kota Kinabalu Immigration Deportation Centre, four from the Sandakan Immigration Deportation Centre and one l from the Tawau Immigration Deportation Centre, while an Indian man was from the Sandakan Immigration Deportation Centre. Sitti Saleha said as of May 1 this year, the State Immigration Department had deported 67 Pakistani and four Indian nationals by air, which brings the total number of illegal immigrants deported to 4,847 people. She said all the illegal immigrants had completed their prison sentences and have international passports for immediate transfer to avoid long detention periods. Sitti Saleha added that the Sabah State Immigration Department would not compromise with any foreign national who misused the passes and facilities provided. Court action will be taken against employers and premises owners who employ foreign nationals without valid travel documents and passes and individuals who violate the conditions of passes or permits as stipulated in Act 155 and the Immigration Regulations 1963.
