KAJANG: The misconception that Malaysia is home to large numbers of undocumented foreign workers must be remedied, says Datuk Zakaria Shaaban.
The Immigration Department director-general said sometimes the public had the wrong idea and perception when seeing many foreigners congregating in several locations in Kuala Lumpur during public holidays or the weekends.
"They would immediately think the country is a hub for illegal foreign workers.
"Such misconceptions must be corrected as Malaysia has more than three million foreign workers with valid permits and passes," he told reporters after attending the Jelajah Wira Madani Semarak Aidiladha programme at the Millennium Temporary Depot in Beranang on Wednesday (May 27).
Zakaria added that such misconceptions may have been fueled by social media.
"Some influencers are after hits and sensational stories and they might have portrayed certain situations wrongly," he added.
Between Jan 1 and Monday, the department conducted 5,010 operations nationwide, leading to 17,313 undocumented foreigners nabbed, Zakaria said.
"The top two offences are overstaying and abuse of passes.
"We also detained 789 employers for harbouring and hiring undocumented foreign workers," he said.
He said the department is committed to stepping up enforcement operations.
"We will take action without fear or favour. We hope all parties will cooperate with the department in supplying relevant information on immigration offences," he said.
