Four Chinese nationals were among 61 foreign individuals detained during a major immigration raid on illegal settlements in Semporna, according to the Sabah Immigration Department.

The operation, which began early Tuesday and stretched into the following morning, involved enforcement teams sweeping through five settlements identified through public complaints and intelligence gathered over three days. Officers screened 173 individuals, both locals and foreigners.

“Those detained include 33 Filipino men, nine women, and eight children, as well as Indonesian, Pakistani, and Chinese nationals,” Sabah Immigration Director Datuk SH Sitti Saleha Habib Yussof said in a statement in Kota Kinabalu, on Wednesday.

The presence of Chinese overstayers — all of them men — highlights a growing concern over non-traditional migration patterns in Sabah, where undocumented migration has typically involved Filipinos and Indonesians.

“These individuals were found without valid travel documents or had overstayed their permits. We will continue to act firmly against such violations,” Sitti Saleha said.

The detainees are being investigated under Section 6(1)(c) and Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, as well as Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963. All have been sent to the Tawau Immigration Depot for further action.

Personnel from five districts — Semporna, Tawau, Lahad Datu, Sandakan, and Kota Kinabalu — were mobilised in what was one of the largest coordinated raids by the department this year.

Sitti Saleha added that strict action would also be taken against employers or individuals who harbour undocumented migrants, under the Immigration Act, the Passport Act 1966, and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 (ATIPSOM). – April 9, 2025