Operation against illegals continues, over 5,000 detained this year

Nation

Friday February 23, 2007

Operation against illegals continues, over 5,000 detained this year

PUTRAJAYA The nationwide operation to detain and deport illegal immigrants will continue as planned.

Immigration Department Director of Enforcement Datuk Ishak Mohamed said the joint operation involving his department and Rela took off as planned this year.

"Our target is to detain 40,000 illegal immigrants,'" he said, adding that the operation was already under way.

To date, he said, the 5,738 illegal immigrants had been detained, so far, in nationwide raids.

Since the beginning of last year, the total number of illegal immigrants detained stood at 30,385 people.

"We will not hesitate to charge employers who hire illegal immigrants," he said in an interview Friday.

Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad had earlier called on employers not to hire illegal immigrants.

Radzi also said that special courts had been formed to handle cases of illegal immigrants and to date about 2,000 cases had been processed.

He added that 470,000 Rela members were involved in the operations to flush out illegal immigrants.