KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 45,499 illegal immigrants were arrested by the Immigration Department between Jan 1 and Dec 6.
For the same period, 1,323 errant employers were detained for hiring or protecting illegal immigrants and the majority of them had been charged in court.
The department’s director-general Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali today said this was the outcome of the commitment of his department staff in carrying out duties and responsibilities entrusted to them, particularly on issues related to illegal immigrants.
He said the department would not compromise with any party who attempt to infiltrate the country’s entry points, “The Immigration Department has taken action by refusing applications to enter Malaysia.
“A total of 72,361 individuals were barred from entering the country due to passport and visa issues, those who have been blacklisted and those who have been categorised as prohibited immigrants under Section 8(3) of the Immigration Act 1959/63,” Mustafar said in a statement today.
He said these efforts would be highlighted in 2018 Immigration Day celebration tomorrow (Dec 10).
Mustafar said the celebration themed “Sayangi Malaysiaku - Kedaulatan dan Keselamatan Tanpa Kompromi” (“Love my Malaysia - Sovereignty and Security without Compromise”) would be held at the department’s headquarters in Putrajaya.
He said “Sayangi Malaysiaku” was the theme used for this year’s National Day which was celebrated by people of all walks of life regardless of age and skin colour which was a manifestation of love and willingness to fight and sacrifice for the nation.
He said “Kedaulatan dan Keselamatan Tanpa Kompromi” reflects the driving force of the department’s duties and responsibilities in carrying out responsibilities to preserve the sovereignty and security of the people and the country.
Mustafar said in conjunction with the 2018 Malaysia Immigration Day, he would like to congratulate the department for the successful completion of outstanding and high performing tasks.
“Among the recognition received by the Immigration through 2018 are the World Best Airport Immigration Service Award, the Accreditation of the Anti-Bribery Management System (ABMS) ISO 37001 and the Highest Achievement Score among Agencies under the Home Ministry,” he said.
“Latest, the new version of Malaysia international passport launched in November last year was awarded as Best ID Document Award (Passport Category) Year 2018 at High Security Printing Asia in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Dec 4.”