KUALA LUMPUR: According to the Home Ministry, there were 2.12 million foreign workers in Malaysia as of Feb 15.
The ministry stated in a written response to the parliament that the nations from which the active foreign workers were registered with the Immigration Department were Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal, Myanmar, and India, as reported by New Straits Times.
According to the ministry, they are continuously carrying out enforcement actions to prevent the number of unauthorized migrant laborers in the nation from rising.
Former Home Minister Hishammuddin inquired about the estimated number of undocumented migrants, refugees, or individuals without work permits who are currently residing in Malaysia.
He additionally inquired about the steps the administration has made to address the problem.
According to the ministry, the Immigration Department has conducted operations in 220 “hotspots” that are often visited by foreign nationals in conjunction with other law enforcement organizations.
As reported by the government, 22,671 illegal migrants were detained in 2020.
12,462 people were arrested in total in 2021; in 2022 and 2023, the numbers were 22,804 and 27,739, respectively.
As of this year’s Feb 15th, 6,306 illegal immigrants had further been apprehended by the agency.
Furthermore, the ministry stated that in order to discourage hiring foreign workers without proper documentation, enforcement actions also target employers of unauthorized migrants.
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