KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia must adopt a more comprehensive approach to tackle illegal immigration, as repatriating undocumented foreign nationals alone will not provide a lasting solution, says Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.
The Alliance for a Safe Community chairman said repatriating 45,597 foreign nationals in the first nine months of this year was a significant step that would help ease overcrowding at immigration detention depots.
However, he said the focus must also be on preventing the problem from recurring by dismantling human smuggling syndicates and taking action against those who facilitate and profit from illegal immigration.
"If the syndicates, middlemen, unscrupulous recruitment agents and employers who facilitate and profit from illegal immigration are not effectively dealt with, undocumented migrants will continue finding ways to enter and remain in the country," he said when contacted on Friday (Oct 30).
Lee said Malaysia needed an integrated strategy involving stronger enforcement, improved border security, better detention depot management, a review of foreign worker recruitment practices and greater regional cooperation.
He said enforcement efforts should focus on the masterminds behind illegal immigration, including networks involved in human smuggling and trafficking, providing fake documents, facilitating illegal border crossings and arranging unlawful employment.
He also stressed that employers who knowingly hired undocumented workers must be held accountable, rather than allowing action to focus solely on the migrants.
On border security, Lee called for greater use of modern surveillance technology, intelligence-sharing and coordinated operations involving the Immigration Department, police, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and other relevant agencies.
He said vulnerable entry points, particularly along coastal areas and land borders, required greater attention.
Lee also called for improvements to immigration detention depot management, stressing that the welfare, safety, health and human dignity of detainees must not be overlooked.
"Overcrowding, inadequate sanitation, insufficient medical attention and prolonged detention are matters requiring urgent attention.
"Every detainee should receive proper medical screening, timely healthcare, adequate food and clean living conditions," he said.
He proposed a more efficient digital case management system to monitor detainees' identities, legal status, documentation and repatriation arrangements.
Independent monitoring and greater transparency should also be encouraged to ensure accountability and prevent misconduct, he added.
Lee said the Government should also review the foreign worker recruitment and employment system by addressing weaknesses in existing channels, improving accountability among recruitment agencies and reducing opportunities for exploitation.
A properly regulated foreign worker system, he said, would help reduce demand for undocumented labour.
He further called for stronger cooperation with neighbouring countries, particularly in intelligence-sharing, border surveillance, identification and repatriation arrangements, noting that illegal immigration and human smuggling were transnational issues.
Lee emphasised that firm immigration enforcement and respect for human rights were not mutually exclusive.
"Malaysia has every right and responsibility to protect its national sovereignty, security and the integrity of its immigration system.
"At the same time, all individuals in detention must be treated humanely and with dignity, regardless of their immigration status," he said.
He said the success of the country's immigration policy should not be measured solely by the number of undocumented migrants arrested or repatriated, but by how effectively illegal entry was prevented, smuggling networks dismantled and opportunities for illegal employment eliminated.
"Malaysia needs a sustainable solution, not merely a temporary reduction in the number of undocumented migrants in the country," he added.
