COMMENT | Undocumented migrant workers are subject to harassment from the authorities. Instead of being detained for not having a valid visa or work permit, extortion is common.

Their employers also take advantage of them, by exploiting their services. At any point in time, they can be reported to the police.

So, who is to blame? They enter the country without the proper documents, but the employers use them as their "slaves".

One reason why the Immigration Department had launched Ops Mega E-Card is to help employers register these undocumented immigrant workers.

It is hoped that employers will start to take the registration of their undocumented migrant workers more seriously, given that a few cases are charged in court such as the case of a cake shop operator in Subang Jaya.

In the past, amnesty programmes have been carried out, one after another, but until now, the problem of undocumented foreign workers is still a serious issue.

Based on the statistics published by the Immigration Department, the detention of 3,116 undocumented immigrants is a drop in the ocean.

The illegal workers are also finding themselves on the run all the time. Whenever wind of a raid is received, they have to go into hiding...