The Sabah Immigration Department deported 670 undocumented Filipinos on Thursday as part of its ongoing crackdown on illegal immigrants in the state

Sabah Immigration director Datuk SH Sitti Saleha Habib Yussof said the group—comprising 536 men, 89 women and 45 children—were sent home via Sandakan port to Zamboanga City, Philippines, on April 10.

They had been held at the Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan immigration depots and were between one and 79 years old.

“The repatriation was done with the cooperation of the Philippine Embassy, which assisted in issuing travel documents,” she said in a statement on Friday. 

The department said the deportees were found to have committed offences under Section 6(1)(c) and Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 and the Immigration Regulations 1963, mainly for entering the country without valid permits and overstaying.

Those deported had completed their prison sentences and were sent back after their documents were finalised. They have also been blacklisted from re-entering Malaysia.

As of April 10, a total of 3,370 Filipino nationals have been repatriated from Sabah this year, out of 4,198 total foreign nationals sent home under the same programme.

Sitti Saleha warned that action would be taken against employers or premises owners who hire or shelter undocumented migrants.

“The department will not compromise with any foreign national who abuses immigration facilities,” she said, adding that enforcement operations would be intensified.

She urged employers to only hire foreign workers through legal channels and reminded the public of the consequences of breaking immigration laws.  – April 11, 2025