The immigration director-general’s plan to target undocumented migrants during the lockdown has come under fire, with DAP’s Charles Santiago calling the approach “beyond stupid”.
The Klang MP was commenting on a tweet by Khairul Dzaimee Daud, who explained that the move was to “protect the rights of local people”.
“We are going after illegal immigrants who live and work in this beloved country without any documents, not paying tax and levy, but reap all the benefits,” said Khairul.
In response, Santiago called for the “state-sponsored violence” to stop.
“You shouldn’t even hunt down undocumented migrants, more so during a pandemic,” he said.
“No one is safe until everyone is. Even a fool knows everyone must be tested and vaccinated as soon as possible.”
Over the weekend, home minister Hamzah Zainudin announced that the immigration department would be conducting operations to detain undocumented migrants during the two-week lockdown.
Hamzah said operations would be held with the national registration department and the police, adding that the prisons department was ready to allocate additional detention centres for those who might get arrested. – FMT