KOTA KINABALU: The Immigration Department deported 377 Filipino illegal immigrants from the state yesterday.
Sabah Immigration Director Datuk SH Sitti Saleha Habib Yusoff said that the illegal immigrants, including eight babies under 23 months old, were deported via Sandakan Port to their home country.
The deportation was carried out using sea transport directly to Zamboanga City Port in the Philippines.
"This is the 18th series of deportations by sea for 2024 to their respective home countries using the MV Antonia 1 ferry.
"All the illegal immigrants, aged between 11 months and 71 years, committed various offenses under the Immigration Act 1959/63 and the Immigration Regulations 1963," she said in a statement today.
She added that this deportation only involved Filipino detainees from the Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan Immigration Depots.
She said that up to now, 4,800 Filipino detainees have been deported, bringing the total number of deported illegal immigrants to 6,829.
"The penalties imposed are based on the Immigration Act and the country's legal process until the deportation from the country.
"The frequency of these deportations depends on the cooperation of the Philippine Embassy in expediting the issuance of travel documents before they can be sent back," she said.