Immigration DG confirms raid, expects to arrest 200 undocumented migrants
Immigration director-general Khairul Dzaimee Daud has confirmed conducting an operation at PJ Old Town and is expecting to arrest around 200 undocumented migrants.
"Today (the Immigration Department) has conducted an operation to transfer undocumented migrants near the Jalan Othman market.
"We believe there are around 200 undocumented migrants in the area."
UPDATED | 2.30PM - Petaling Jaya MP calls for a halt to raids
Immigration director-general Khairul Dzaimee Daud has confirmed conducting an operation at PJ Old Town and is expecting to arrest around 200 undocumented migrants.
"Today (the Immigration Department) has conducted an operation to transfer undocumented migrants near the Jalan Othman market.
"We believe there are around 200 undocumented migrants in the area."
He said the undocumented migrants - who come from Indonesia, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh - will be sent to immigration detention centres.
He also disclosed that the Immigration Department has arrested 1,763 undocumented migrants in total from recent operations, including during raids at enhanced movement control order (MCO) areas in Selayang and Selangor Mansion, Jalan Masjid India.
Khairul said this during a press conference near the Jalan Othman market.
He also assured that there was no risk of contracting Covid-19 as all the migrants have been tested and quarantined.
This morning, the authorities went to houses in the enhanced MCO area and checked for the documentation of migrants.
Those who were without valid documents were lined up and handcuffed before taken to the Immigration Department's vehicles.
Some migrants were spotted carrying their belongings with them. It is believed that they will be deported to their countries of origin.
As of yesterday, there were 28 cases of Covid-19 from the area, two cases were from outside the enhanced MCO area.
Among them, 21 are foreigners.
MP calls for end to raids
In an immediate response, Petaling Jaya MP Maria Chin Abdullah urged authorities to end the arrests of migrants.
Maria (below) criticised what she said was the use of the Covid-19 pandemic as an excuse to crack down on and remove migrants, including children, from foreign worker enclaves.
"These migrants have been struggling during the MCO, being left stranded because they are unable to earn a living during this time and unlike Malaysians, do not qualify for any of the Government welfare schemes."
She said in a statement that many of the migrants in Old Town work at the Jalan Othman Market and with petty traders in and around Petaling Jaya.
"Many traders still need their assistance and getting rid of migrants will only hurt them economically."
Therefore, she urged the authorities to consider an evaluation of the status of each of them and give them proper documentation to enable them to continue working.
She also warned that the immigration operation during the pandemic "is a huge mistake", as it might cause the Covid-19 virus to spread further.
"There is extreme fear within migrant communities to come forward for testing because of the large number of migrants being arrested."
"Attempts of foreigners trying to escape authorities had already been reported in the Pudu Market area earlier and surely more would have evaded authorities out of fear," she added.
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