Sixty-seven Indonesians without valid travel documents were detained in a joint raid by several government agencies in Nilai last February.

They were believed to have no intention of returning to their country of origin, but rather to remain in the country.

The issue of illegal immigrants in this country is not new. But the recent raid on Nilai was somehow shocking.

It turned out that the settlement had existed for a long time and that they had even set up a school.

It shows that illegal immigrants have the courage to do this. It also shows how loose and weak our sovereignty is in the face of such acts.

The influx of migrants in Malaysia has actually existed for the past five decades with the arrival of Vietnamese or boat people to Bidong Island, Terengganuu after the outbreak of war in their country.

Since then, Malaysia has been an attractive destination for workers from neighbouring countries seeking employment opportunities.

As of 2020, the number of immigrants in Malaysia amounted to approximately 3.48 million.

The number of illegal immigrants is estimated to be as high as one million. That means we have almost five million foreigners in the country. It means they can create a whole state by themselves!

These illegal immigrants rob a lot from the locals. Apart from not paying taxes, they can enjoy public services such as health facilities, public schools, transport, subsidised items and all other public utilities.

The irritating part is that they don't pay taxes to build and maintain these services like we do.
In terms of jobs, many complain that illegal migrant workers take up most blue-collar jobs.

While employers are happy with this situation, it can be exasperating for citizens who can't find work.

In fact, employing illegal immigrants also means that the employer gets away with not paying compulsory taxes. This leads to a loss of tax revenue and reduces government income.

Locals should get the jobs before legal or undocumented immigrants.  It also brings another conflict and security dilemma that could disrupt social order and lead to political instability.

Worse still, these immigrants are seen to be dominating the places that used to belong to the locals: Indonesians in Kampung Baru, Burmese in Selayang Market and Cempaka Mall and Filipinos around Kota Kinabalu.

They are becoming the masters of these areas, and some have been there for decades with only a few generations. To make matters worse, many of them have intermarried with locals and do not register it.

It is not pretty when the marriage ends in divorce. There can be complications over property or money management and child custody. another conflict and security dilemma which  could dismay the social order and lead to political instability.

The children of such unions also suffer, as they are often undocumented. Sometimes they are abandoned and become stateless.

Illegal immigrant groups can also pose a security threat to us. This can be seen in our courts, which are not free of cases of smuggling weapons or people, forming coalitions with separatist groups, or drug trafficking.

This excludes those classified as 'high risk', who enter the country because of their potential threat to national security. Without proper monitoring, criminals and terrorists could also find their way in.

This puts law-abiding residents at risk. It is also not easy to track down and prosecute illegal criminals.
There are also cases of infectious diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis, as some of the illegals are unvaccinated.  It is definitely a danger to Malaysians.

Everyone knows that the immigration issue is a nightmare. The problem is complex and there are no simple solutions.

The modus operandi of entering the country illegally would not occur if there was no involvement of local - tekong (ground coordinator) or even government officials who sell and produce fake identity documents to undocumented immigrants.

Such an act is very shameful and these culprits should be severely punished. Their citizenship should be revoked as they are betraying the nation. In a way, it can be a stern warning to others.

Some people are sympathetic and see the illegal immigrants as human beings where they are more than the latitude and longitude of their birth. But they are breaking the law. Semantically, the word 'illegal' itself suggests that it is foolish and wrong.

Crossing borders is against the laws of all nations. Speeding is illegal. Taking drugs is illegal. Even singing obscene songs is illegal.  Most of us have done some or all of these things. Do we feel sorry for our wrongdoings? We deserve what we do.

It is true that migration is in the DNA of humanity, but we, the locals, also have our desire to create a meaningful life for ourselves, our children and our beloved country.

Finally, migrants must understand their responsibilities and obligations to their host societies.


* Dr. Abdul Mutalib Embong is from the English Learning Centre, Centre for Foundation and Continuing Education (PPAL),  Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT).

** The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of Astro AWANI.