THE perception that the presence of many foreigners in hotspots such as the capital indicates a serious presence of illegal immigrants (PATI) to the point of 'taking over' several areas in the country needs to be corrected.
This is because not all of them are breaking the law; on the contrary, many have valid travel documents and permits, said Immigration Director-General, Datuk Zakaria Shaaban.
He said that the reality is that more than three million foreigners in the country have valid passes and permits and comply with the regulations.
He said, however, the situation of movement and gathering of foreigners, especially during weekends and festive seasons in hotspots in the country, often creates negative perceptions among the public.
"They gather to meet friends on long holidays or weekends, creating the perception that the area is filled with PATI.
"Many of them have valid documents as a result of our inspection," he told a press conference at the Jelajah Wira MADANI Semarak Aidiladha JIM programme in Kajang, today.
The programme is a sign of appreciation to immigration workers who are on the front lines.
Zakaria said there is also a possibility that there are individuals creating content that seeks sensational material to get high ratings, but the public needs to understand the real situation.
However, he said, they did not 'turn a blind eye' and continued to carry out inspections of foreigners in the country to ensure that local well-being was always guaranteed.
He said the department party had carried out 5,010 enforcement operations nationwide until May 25, involving inspections of 71,734 individuals, with 17,313 PATI detained for various immigration offences.
"We also detained 789 employers suspected of protecting or employing foreigners without valid permits," he said, adding that most of the cases involved overstaying and misuse of passes under the Immigration Act.
Based on JIM statistics, among the highest countries of origin detained were Indonesia (5,578), Bangladesh (3,533), Myanmar (2,856), the Philippines (1,990) and Pakistan (811). – May 27, 2026
