Immigration enforcement according to Ministry's policies

PORT DICKSON: Enforcement action taken by the Malaysian Immigration Department is done according to the policies of the Home Ministry, said the department's director-general Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali.
Commenting on its actions in connection with the arrival of ethnic Rohingyas into the country, he said as an enforcement agency, the department had standard operating procedures when it came to enforcement.
"When there is turmoil in their country, we find that many of the people would try to cross international borders and some come here.
"However, as an enforcement agency, we will carry out our duties according to what (policy) has been set," he told reporters after attending the Passing-Out Parade of Grade KP19 Immigration Officers' Basic Course Series Three 2017.
On a separate development, Mustafar since the department's Ops Mega started on July 1 until yesterday, more than 11,000 illegal immigrants had been detained, among them 3,264 Indonesiians, which is the highest number of detentions to date.
"These arrests are the result of checks conducted on 41,897 people and 3,167 premises. We have also detained 266 employers," he said.
Commenting on the event today, Mustafar said beginning October, the Basic Course for Grade KP19 Immigration Officers would be held every three months at the Malaysian Immigration Academy here.
He said the intensive course would be for an extended period of time compared to the previous 50 days.
He added that the officers who graduated today were part of the last batch to undergo the shorter course. — Bernama