KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 1,743 illegal immigrants were arrested during Op Belanja and Op Jaja from Jan 1 last year to Jan 31 this year.
The Home Ministry, in a parliamentary written reply, said they were arrested for various offenses under the Immigration Act 1959/63.
The offences recorded include having no valid travel documents, overstaying, misusing passes, and harbouring illegal immigrants.
"The department specifically carries out operations via Op Belanja and Op Jaja to address the issue of foreign nationals conducting business without a license or working illegally.
"Op Belanja targets premises such as mini markets or supermarkets, convenience stores, and furniture stores, with 1,396 illegal immigrants arrested.
"While Op Jaja focuses on areas like night markets, farmers' markets, wholesale markets, and street stalls, 347 illegal immigrants were arrested during the same period," read the reply.
The ministry was responding to a question from Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan (PN-Kota Bharu), who asked for measures to address the influx of foreigners who are increasingly dominating certain areas in the capital city and other urban areas in several states, including being actively involved in a network of businesses, leading to concerns among the locals.
The ministry said in addition to enforcement actions, the department also takes additional steps to ensure that foreigners do not misuse immigration facility passes for personal gains, such as marrying Malaysian citizens in what is categorised as a marriage of convenience.
"The approaches taken include implementing monitoring and review through supervision; holding interviews with the concerned couples; and imposing a collateral on the sponsor."