New operation to flush out illegal immigrants on July 1

PUTRAJAYA: The Immigration Depart­ment will carry out Ops Mega 3.0 to flush out illegal immigrants nationwide on July 1, after the expiry of the deadline for the rehiring and relocation programme on June 30, said its director-general Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali.

He said the department would not compromise in its search for illegal immigrants and their em­­ployers who were too stubborn to register for valid working permits under the rehiring programme that began on Feb 15, 2016, and due to be phased out on June 30.

He said the department would continue to intensify its operations against the influx of illegal immigrants and would not compromise with any party, in order to safeguard the security and sovereignty of the country.

“We do not know how many more illegal immigrants are out there but the department is firm in enforcing the law, and we will search for all illegals who are scattered around the country.

“For employers who are still stubborn and still protecting, hiring and allowing illegals to stay in the pre­mises, this is a grave offence and they are liable to a maximum fine of RM50,000, imprisonment of not exceeding five years and also whipping of not more than six strokes of the cane,” he said in a special media conference on the rehiring programme here yesterday.

Between Feb 15, 2016, and May 28 this year, a total of 744,942 illegal immigrants and 83,919 employers were registered in the rehiring programme through three government-appointed vendors, he said.

He said of 744,942 illegals, 415,791 were present at the department for amnesty purposes, where 307,557 were qualified for the process, subject to health screening results by Fomema.

“Of the 307,557 eligible immigrants, only 110,489 have been successfully legalised and qualified for Temporary Employment Visit Pass, while for the rest, the department is still waiting for them to turn up at the Immigration office for the bio­metric process,” said Mustafar, re­minding employers to expedite the amnesty process of their illegal workers.

He added that a total of 108,234 illegals were found to be unqualified and were included in the 3 + 1 programme for repatriation to their home countries by employers and vendors before Aug 30 this year.

From 2014 to May 2018, the department has detained 213,709 illegals and 4,540 employers, of which 19,328 illegals and 659 employers were brought to court, he said. — Bernama