PUTRAJAYA: More than 90,000 undocumented foreigners were detained in various operations nationwide last year, says Datuk Zakaria Shaaban.
The Immigration director-general said the number of detainees far exceeded the initial target of 50,000.
“We cannot afford to rest on our laurels. This year, we will intensify enforcement and operations at locations identified as hotspots for undocumented foreigners,” he said in his New Year’s address on Wednesday (Jan 14).
Zakaria said enforcement operations this year need to be more strategic and no longer focused solely on factory or site-level activities.
“We have to intensify our efforts this year, as public sentiment towards the government is that there are many illegal immigrants.
“Public perception was that many foreigners dominated economic activity and were focused in one location or another.
“Enforcement activities need to be strategic because operations at construction sites and the like are something we are used to doing. This time, we have to think about other sectors and areas that are more troubling to the community,” he said.
