PUTRAJAYA: More than 90,000 undocumented foreigners were detained in various operations nationwide last year, says Datuk Zakaria Shaaban.
The Immigration director-general said the number of those detained far surpassed the initial target of 50,000.
“We cannot rest on our laurels. This year, we will intensify operations at locations identified as hotspots for undocumented foreigners,” he said in his New Year address yesterday.
Zakaria said enforcement operations this year need to be more strategic and no longer focused solely on operations at factories or specific sites.
“The public sentiment towards the government is that there are many illegal immigrants outside. The perception of the public is that many foreigners dominate economic certain activities and are focused in certain places.
He said, beyond factories and construction sites, the department must think about other sectors and areas that are more troubling to the community.
Zakaria said enforcement operations against undocumented foreigners will remain a priority for the department this year.
“We plan to conduct 1,200 enforcement operations this year.
“In addition, one of the Home Ministry’s KPIs aims for 90% of inspected foreign nationals to be in possession of valid passes,” he added. On issues of integrity, Zakaria said the department will implement several measures to combat negative perceptions and incidents at Immigration depots.
“We will roll out three key measures this year to improve depot management – the implementation of the Refugee Registration Document (DPP) Programme, improved depot management practices and the empowerment and capacity-building of depot officers,” he said.
Zakaria said the DPP will provide registered refugees and asylum seekers who have passed security screenings with official documentation.
“The DPP card will allow them to reside legally in Malaysia while awaiting resettlement to third countries that are parties to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol.
“The initiative is in line with National Security Council Directive No. 23 on the policy and mechanism for managing refugees and asylum seekers,” he said.
