Labour rights organisation Tenaganita today claimed that the deportation of Filipinos have split families and made 'orphans' of children left behind in Sabah by their parents who were forced to return to Philippines.

Its director Irene Fernandez said two Tenaganita coordinators discovered this when visiting an illegal immigrant detention centre in Tawau in July.

"They went to Tawau knowing then that there would be consequences arising from the implementation of the [new provisions of the Immigration Act] on Aug 1. We were shocked to see large numbers of children who were 'orphaned' in Sabah," said Fernandez during a press conference in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

She said Tenaganita will go on a fact-finding mission to Sabah next week to check on complaints of abuse and ill-treatment of immigrants and their children by security officials.

She alleged that police raids to detain illegal immigrants resulted in many children being left behind in Sabah after being separated from their parents who were deported back to the Philippines.