62 detained and 11 employers summoned in Selangor operation

The Immigration Department detained 62 foreign nationals during a special enforcement operation in Selangor on 15 June, and issued 11 summonses to employers as part of the follow-up.

Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the operation involved 30 enforcement officers and was carried out following intelligence gathering and information received from the public.

Where the operation ran

Six localities were covered:

• Cyberjaya
• Bandar Seri Putra
• Bandar Teknologi Kajang
• Seri Kembangan
• Sepang
• Dengkil

What was inspected

17 premises were checked, including furniture factories, sawmills, eateries, grocery shops and hawker areas known to be frequented by foreign nationals.

Inspections covered 210 individuals — both Malaysians and foreign nationals — resulting in the detention of 62 foreigners suspected of offences under the Immigration Act 1959/63 and the Immigration Regulations 1963.

Preliminary investigations found that some of those detained were believed to have abused the passes granted to them, by engaging in employment or activities inconsistent with the original purpose of their entry into the country. All detainees were taken to the Putrajaya Immigration Depot for documentation, investigation and further action.

The 11 summonses were issued to employers to assist further investigation into their employment of foreign workers and their level of compliance with immigration law.

Zakaria reminded employers to comply at all times with the conditions and regulations governing the employment of foreign workers, warning that firm action would be taken against any party found to be harbouring, employing or assisting foreign nationals who violate pass conditions and immigration regulations.

Why this matters to employers

This operation is worth reading closely, because it is the most ordinary of the enforcement actions reported this year — and therefore the most relevant.

Look at the premises list. Furniture factories. Sawmills. Eateries. Grocery shops. These are not fringe operations or nightlife venues. They are the kind of business that employs foreign workers legitimately, every day, across Selangor.

Look at the ratio. 210 people were inspected to produce 62 detentions. Enforcement did not arrive knowing who to check — everyone present was checked, and the paperwork decided the outcome on the spot.

Look at the 11 summonses. Employers were not bystanders in this operation. They were summoned to account for how they employ foreign workers and how well they comply.

And once again, the stated reason for most detentions was pass abuse — workers doing something other than what their pass was issued for — rather than workers with no documents at all.

What we would suggest

The pattern across the operations reported this year is consistent enough to plan around:

• Enforcement arrives on intelligence, often after public tip-offs. There is no warning.
• Everyone on site is checked, not a sample.
• The employer is asked to account for the workforce, not just the individual worker.

Which means the useful preparation is simply this: at any given moment, can you produce a valid pass for every foreign worker on your premises, showing your company as the employer and the role they are actually doing?

If the answer is not a confident yes, that is worth fixing before someone else asks the question.

Source

theSun / Bernama, 17 June 2026 — "62 foreigners held in Selangor immigration operation" https://thesun.my/news/malaysia-news/crime/62-foreigners-held-in-selangor-immigration-operation/

Summarised by JNT Manpower Solutions from the report cited above. Figures are as reported on that date.