KUALA LUMPUR: More than 7,000 foreigners have been arrested for immigration offences in Kuala Lumpur alone since January 2023, says the Home Ministry.
The Ministry said a total of 2,723 enforcement operations had been carried out in the bustling city from Jan 1, 2023, until June this year, which saw a total of 20,507 suspected individuals inspected.
From this, it said 7,270 foreigners were arrested for committing immigration offences under either the Immigration Act 1959/63, the Passport Act 1966, and the Immigration Regulations 1963, based on statistics from the Immigration Department.
This also included those conducting unlicensed business activities or working illegally in the city.
“Frequent inspections were carried out at premises frequented by foreign nationals, such as supermarkets, wholesale markets, and residential areas.
“Among the most popular areas for foreign nationals included Masjid India, Jalan Alor, the Kuala Lumpur wholesale market, and others,” the ministry said in a parliamentary written reply dated Aug 7.
The ministry said it was intensifying intelligence and enforcement activities not only against foreign workers but also against employers who hire or harbour illegal immigrants.
It added that integrated operations are also being done against the city’s widespread beggar issue, which includes foreign beggars, with the collaboration of Immigration, local authorities and the Social Welfare Department.
The Ministry was responding to Fong Kui Lun (PH-Bukit Bintang) who asked what monitoring measures and actions were taken against foreign nationals who misuse tourist visas to beg or work illegally in Kuala Lumpur.
