PETALING JAYA: Over 7,000 undocumented migrants have been arrested since the beginning of the year, according to the Immigration Department.
Department deputy director-general (Operations) Datuk Lokman Effendi Ramli said that from Jan 1 to Feb 19 the department had conducted 1,855 operations, with around 30,177 people being inspected.
"From this total, 7,043 arrests of undocumented migrants of various nationalities were recorded," he said in a statement on Tuesday (Feb 24).
He added that the department recorded 4,804 cases involving those found without valid travel passes and documents, with a further 1,250 cases of overstaying.
Department statistics also showed that the eight countries with the highest number of arrests were Indonesia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Thailand, Pakistan, India and China.
"The Immigration Department emphasised that enforcement operations will continue to be intensified consistently and in a focused manner, without compromise, against any individual who violates immigration laws," he said.
