TAWAU: Some illegal immigrants resorted to climbing into a house ceiling to hide during an operation by Sabah Immigration Department (JIM) enforcement officers, Tuesday.
The operation saw 64 immigrants from Philippines and Indonesia detained for various offences, including failure to produce valid identification documents.
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Sabah Immigration Director Datuk Sh Sitti Saleha Habib Yussof said the operation was carried out following public tip-offs and intelligence gathering over a week around the district.
“All those detained are suspected of committing various offences under the Immigration Act 1959/63 and the Immigration Regulations 1963,” she said.
Sitti Saleha said the operation involved 26 officers from the Tawau Immigration Enforcement Division, who conducted checks on 97 individuals suspected of immigration violations.
She added that the department remains committed to its core responsibility, particularly through continuous enforcement operations against illegal immigrants across the State.
“We will not hesitate to take stern action against locals or companies found to be harbouring or employing foreigners without valid identification documents,” she said.
At the same time, she stressed that the department will not compromise with any party found to be violating immigration laws, especially when it involves national security concerns.
She also urged the public to continue cooperating by providing information regarding the presence of illegal immigrants in their respective residential areas.
