Over 300,000 foreigners stranded after entering nation illegally draining government coffers
KUCHING: The government is spending around RM22.5 million per day to maintain some 300,000 illegal immigrants currently under detention in the country.
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar revealed that the government has to shoulder this burden because the illegal immigrants cannot be deported without official documents.
“Illegal immigrants who are detained because they have no official documents are costing the government in terms of money in providing them food and healthcare. The costs to maintain every detainee is RM75 per person per day. It is expensive but necessary because the global community will see us as a humane country.
“We want to send these illegals back as soon as possible, as they are a burden to us but the problem is further slowed because their home countries take a long time to issue official documents. It is sometimes delayed by selective issuance of official documents,” he told reporters after presenting emergency aid and grants to Santubong constituents yesterday.
Wan Junaidi said the Home Ministry is doing its best to resolve the problem by holding discussions with the various embassies involved.
“The process is slow but there is no other mechanism to send them back besides having official documents produced by their home countries. We know where these people are from but as long as they do not have any official travel documents, either destroyed or lost, we cannot send them back as they need passports to enter their own countries.
“Malaysia has become an attractive country for illegal immigrants from countries like Indonesia, the Philippines and Myanmar to make a living, especially when our own people refuse to work in jobs seen as dangerous, dirty and demeaning. Because many of our own people are now educated, they prefer jobs that are comfortable. Therefore, the dangerous, dirty and demeaning jobs become job opportunities for these foreigners,” he said.
On a report alleging that immigrant children, both illegal and otherwise, are outnumbering local children in Sabah, Wan Junaidi said it could be true.
“However, no action has been taken yet as we are still awaiting the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to finish their report, which will then be presented in the Parliament this March.
“The government, based on recommendations from RCI, will then give the directive to the Home Ministry on what to do. We have to abide to our Constitution no matter what action we take,” he said.