Home Ministry to work with Attorney-General’s Chambers on deportation of illegal immigrants
TELUK INTAN: The Home Ministry will refer to the Attorney-General’s Chambers about the legal aspects that may facilitate and ease the deportation of illegal immigrants without them having to wait too long at the detention depot.
Its minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the ministry’s legal advisers would also submit several proposals to the chamber to allow immigrants who were released from detention or imprisonment, to be deported directly to their countries of origin without having to be brought to the depot.
“This will need several law amendments and if it possible to do it administratively, then it will be done that way.
“The same goes with several aspects in the Immigration Act and its relevant regulations. We will discuss it with the Attorney-General’s Chambers,” he told reporters after visiting the Langkap Immigration Detention Depot near here yesterday.
Ahmad Zahid said there were many cases where illegal immigrants could not be deported to their countries of origin because they did not have any identification document.
“This also makes it difficult for the countries (of origin) to accept them for deportation,” he said.
Ahmad Zahid said 19,222 illegal immigrants had been deported in the integrated operation held from Jan 21 to April 16, leaving approximately 15,800 others waiting for their turns at 16 detention depots.
“The deportation process needs documentation, especially in terms of cooperation from embassies or high commissions to prepare the documents for at least a one-way trip to the country of origin,” he said, adding that the government spent about RM24 million a year to provide meals for illegal immigrants at detention depots. — Bernama