ANN/THE STAR – Undocumented migrants got into a scuffle with Malaysian immigration officials during a crackdown in Sabah state.
The operation from midnight to 5am yesterday was conducted at workers’ quarters on construction sites in Tuaran and Menggatal, said Sabah Immigration Department director Sitti Saleha Habib Yussof.
She said department officials inspected a total of 270 people and nabbed 197 who failed to produce valid documents.
They included 195 Filipinos comprising 49 men, 54 women, 61 boys and 31 girls; and two Indonesian men.
Those detained ranged from seven months to 62 years old, Sitti Saleha added.
“The quarters were built close together on uneven hilly ground and it was muddy the whole way,” she said, adding that such living conditions were neither conducive nor safe, especially for the children.
“During our raids, the occupants ran helter-skelter with some trying to hide in bushes, playing tricks to evade capture.
“Some even got into a scuffle with our officers but luckily, no major incident occurred,” she said.
