KUALA LUMPUR – Most of the foreign workers rounded up during raids in Klang hotspots often return in the evening, as 80% of them hold valid working permits, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
He said Klang has eight hotspots with the highest number of undocumented migrants, such as the wholesale market, the main morning market, GM Klang, the industrial zone, Pulau Indah, and Bandar Bukit Tinggi.
“We have conducted 36 raids in Klang this year alone. A total of 2,054 undocumented migrants and eight employers were arrested. This means that we conduct raids once every two days, which proves our continuous commitment to eradicating illegal immigrants in the area,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today.
Saifuddin said this in response to Ganabatirau Veraman (Klang-PH), who claimed that places in his constituency would be raided in the morning but foreigners would return the same evening.
The minister said there are 2.1 million foreign workers with valid passes in the country, and for every 100 arrests, about 20% do not hold permits, overstay or abuse their passes.
Earlier, Saifuddin said Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Sabah, and Sarawak are the top five states in Malaysia with the highest number of undocumented migrants.
From January 1, 2022, to February 27, 2024, enforcement agencies conducted 20,880 operations, and the Immigration Department arrested 58,508 migrants and 871 employers.
Meanwhile, Datuk Khlir Mohd Nor (Ketereh-PN) claimed that there was an influx of migrants in Kg Kubang Tin, Merloh, Ketereh who had been deported earlier but had returned double in number (about 1,200 people).
Saifuddin welcomed Khlir to submit the information to the ministry and promised to take action and investigate the matter.
The minister also reminded the MPs that the issue is a shared responsibility of all parties, including the federal government, state government, and local authorities. – February 29, 2024