Immigration rounds up 55 undocumented foreigners, local employer in Sandakan raid

KOTA KINABALU: Immigration Department personnel rounded up 55 undocumented Filipinos during a raid at a workers’ quarters in Sabah’s east coast Sandakan district on Wednesday (Sept 7).

The department also arrested a 48-year-old Malaysian man, who is believed to have employed the detainees without the necessary work passes, during the operation codenamed “Operasi Sapu” at Mile 19 Sungai Tiram at 1.10am on Wednesday.

Sabah Immigration director Sitti Saleha Habib Yussof said the man will also be probed under the Immigration Act for harbouring illegal immigrants after allowing them to stay in the workers’ quarters.

She said the raiding team, consisting of personnel from Kota Kinabalu, Tawau and Sandakan, had earlier screened 88 people in the exercise.

“They were all sleeping when we carried out the raid,” she said in a statement on Saturday (Sept 10).

Following further checks, she said, they detained 55 people, aged between four months and 52 years old, who comprised 19 men, 13 women and 23 children.

The detainees were hauled up under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for entering the country and staying without valid travel documents.

“We will continue to hold these operations at such premises in order to weed out illegal immigrants, particularly those who are working without legitimate work permits,” Sitti Saleha said.

Towards this end, she said the department was committed in its efforts and warned the public, especially employers, not to flout the law.

“I wish to firmly remind concerned parties not to undermine and violate the immigration rules as we will not hesitate to take stern action against those doing so,” she said.

She urged the public to report to the authorities immediately if they came across the presence of illegal immigrants.