PUTRAJAYA: While some parties say that enforcement on illegal immigrants will make them shy away from getting vaccinated, Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin believes the exercise will actually help them get their jabs.
The Home Minister said even if the raids were not carried out, undocumented migrants would not come out to be vaccinated.
“How are they supposed to do so when the process needs registration. How are they to register when they have no documents?
“By doing enforcement, we can rope in employers and embassies to verify and issue identification papers so that they can register for vaccination and get themselves documented as well, ” Hamzah said after inspecting a satellite prison and immigration detention centre at Beranang yesterday.
He said the exercise was necessary and was of national interest.
On May 29, Hamzah had said raids against illegal immigrants would be among enforcement activities to be conducted during the two-week lockdown.
His statement was met with criticisms from non-governmental organisations and several opposition lawmakers.
They questioned the plan, arguing that this would only lead to the undocumented migrants hesitating to come forward to be vaccinated.
Hamzah said these opposition lawmakers should act as sponsors to the illegal immigrants so that they could be inoculated.
On satellite prisons and detention centres, Hamzah said it proved to be effective in curbing the Covid-19 outbreak at these places.
He pointed out that currently there were only 49 positive cases reported at prisons nationwide and 30 cases in immigration depots.
There are now six satellite prisons and four satellite immigration detention centres.
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