Immigration chief: 77 officers dismissed since 2022 amid crackdown on integrity breaches

KAJANG, May 27 — A total of 77 Malaysian Immigration Department officers have been sacked from 2022 to date, out of 994 disciplinary cases resolved by the agency.

Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said that for this year alone, 23 disciplinary cases have been settled, with eight officers receiving punitive measures in an effort to strengthen integrity and curb misconduct within the department.

“Regardless of their rank, we will take action based on evidence,” he told a press conference during the Jelajah Wira Madani programme held in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidiladha at the Millennium Temporary Immigration Depot in Beranang, here, today.

Zakaria said misconduct included breaches of standard operating procedures, approving matters beyond authority, manipulating counter settings, absenteeism, drug abuse, and smuggling contraband to detainees at depots.

In a separate matter, he said that the presence of foreigners at popular locations, especially on weekends or during festive seasons, does not necessarily mean they are undocumented.

He said current statistics show that more than three million foreigners holding valid passes and permits reside in the country.

Zakaria did not rule out the possibility that social media content creators, who deliberately record videos of large crowds of foreigners to gain traction, have contributed to a negative public perception.

On enforcement operations, he said the department conducted 5,010 operations nationwide and checked 71,734 individuals, including locals, between Jan 1 and May 25 this year.

“As a result, 17,313 illegal immigrants were detained for various offences, primarily for overstaying and abusing their passes. In addition, 789 employers who hired or harboured illegal immigrants were also detained,” he said.

He added that the five nationalities with the highest number of arrests were Indonesians (5,578), Bangladeshis (3,533), Myanmar nationals (2,856), Filipinos (1,990), and Pakistanis (811).

On the programme today, Zakaria said it serves as a platform to express appreciation to the department’s personnel for their high commitment and contributions as one of the nation’s frontline agencies. — Bernama