Undocumented migrants rounded up in the latest joint operation by Home Ministry agencies will be allowed to participate in the ongoing recalibration exercise with an option to either be deported or rehired legally here.

Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin said this option would be offered to undocumented held migrants in detention with cooperation from their embassies and high commissions here.

Among those detained, Hamzah revealed many had escaped from unfavourable working conditions and had expressed the intention to return home.

"They don't want to stay here. That is why we discussed with their embassies, to send them back," he told a press conference after visiting the Beranang satellite prison and satellite immigration depot.

On the other hand, he noted there were those who had run away from an allegedly abusive employer but still wanted to continue working here.

"They said they worked for Employer A but they ran away [...] and now Employer B wants to hire them.

"So we will go and ask Employer B. This is what we're doing," he said, adding there are 5,009 employers were registered under the recalibration exercise.

From Dec 21 last year up to June 1 this year, Hamzah said the recalibration exercise had registered 97,891 undocumented migrants of which 78,530 have already been deported.

The remaining 19,341 individuals are currently in detention.

Overall, he said the government received 108,000 applications from migrants whose temporary work documents had expired last year.

Hamzah justified the ongoing joint operation to round up undocumented migrants as needed to protect the interests of Malaysians.

"I want to protect our rakyat. That's why we do this operation, so that when we have detained them, we can give the vaccine to these people.

"If we do not catch them, we cannot be certain as to whether they would come forward (for vaccination) or not," he added.

On the ministry's stand with regards to the vaccination of stateless Malaysians, Hamzah said there is ongoing work to provide them with the necessary documentation.

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