In the last couple of months in Sabah, we’ve been reading, hearing and witnessing the operation by the authorities to ‘flush out illegal immigrants’. The politicians and the media seem to be playing up the sentiment with their choice of words - ‘flush out’ to me conjures up images of these ‘illegal immigrants’ as dirty, smelly, unwanted waste.

These descriptions are so humiliating. I’m not saying that all these irregular migrant or undocumented migrants are angels but it is not fair to stereotype all of them as being violent and the cause of all the economic and social woes in Sabah.

With the sudden blitz of catching these undocumented migrants and placing them in detention centres, it makes me wonder how the living conditions are in the few detention centres that exist in Sabah.

I also wonder what is the situation of the children in these detention centres, especially those unaccompanied minors. I wonder how they must be feeling, away from their family, friends and familiar surroundings. It must be a very traumatic experience for these children.

A couple of weeks ago, I was at a construction site on work matters. Whilst there, I heard the story of how the construction site was raided by the enforcement authorities. It seems they came at 2 am., silently creeping up on the sleeping labourers. Many of the labourers woke up in shock.

Checks were done and it seems money from the labourers’ pockets and wallets were emptied by the enforcement men and taken away.

One of the worker had RM400 - his pay after a month of backbreaking work - all gone just like that. About 10 of them were detained for having fake documentation it seemed.

Now, the other labourers who were not detained are living in fear every night. Some of them prefer to sleep amongst the long lalang bush around the construction site as they fear another raid during which their hard-earned money will be taken away.

All of us are human, whether we are a citizen of the country, irregular or undocumented migrants, refugees, stateless people or street children.

As such we are all equal in that each one of us is born with inherent fundamental and basic human rights. Whatever actions or policies that the government decides to take or are taking, let it be with the understanding that we are all born equal.

Put yourself in the place of the people that you are trying to deport, detain, arrest, especially those labourers who are working hard doing backbreaking work that the local people do not want to do.

Remember that despite what you think, these people built with their sweat and tears (and for some, blood) the air-conditioned offices that you are sitting in right now; your houses; schools, hospitals, shopping complexes.

These people, ‘illegal or legal’ toiled the land so that you can have your vegetables and your big profit from your oil palm plantations. They have also brought up so many of our children here in Sabah since you hired them as your ’servants’.

Yes, some of these migrants broke the law and the law needs to be enforced. But do not just blame the most vulnerable who are voiceless and are unable to be heard and defend themselves. It takes two hands to clap.