Illegal immigrants rounded up for inspection by Immigration officers during the operation in Ranau early yesterday morning.
RANAU: Sixty-five illegal immigrants were detained by the State Immigration Department in a large-scale operation in Ranau early Saturday morning.
Deputy Minister of Home Affairs II Jonathan Yasin said the operation, dubbed Ops Bersepadu, was carried out at 10 locations in Ranau starting at midnight.
Jonathan said the operation was conducted after the state Immigration Department had received numerous reports from the public.
Among the locations that were raided were Jalan Kampung Mesilou in Kundasang, Jalan Desa Cattle in Mesilou Kundasang, Kg Babukan, Kg Sinisan in Kundasang, Mile 7 Jalan Pinousuk, construction site along Jalan Mesilau Golf Course Kundasang, MRSM workers’ quarters at Tanah Merah Jalan Kompleks Ranau, and the water tank construction site workers’ quarters in Kundasang.
“Some 173 people were initially rounded up by Immigration teams for documentation inspection and from the total, 65 were detained for not having proper documents to be in the country.
“Among those held were 28 men, 15 women, and 22 children,” he said, adding that those detained were aged between one-year-old to age 70.
Jonathan said all the foreigners will be detained for investigation under Section 6(1)(c) and Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for entering Malaysia without valid pass and overstaying in Malaysia with expiration pass respectively.
“They will undergo a health screening including Covid-19 tests to ensure none of them are infected by the virus before we send them to the Immigration deportation centre for further action,” he said.
Jonathan added that the operation also focused on employers who are harboring illegal immigrants.
“Action will also be taken on employers who employed foreign workers without proper documents,” he said.