"They should thank the government for freeing illegal immigrants of COVID-19"

He stressed that the immigrants had committed the offence of entering the country illegally and Malaysia has its own laws.

"Yesterday, the issue of arrests of 586 PATI foreigners at the Masjid India EMCO has caused an uproar. Some accused the government for being cruel for arresting them.

“These immigrants were under compulsory quarantine within the EMCO area and we have made COVID-19 screenings and they are tested negative. The EMCO will end, then they will be released and their status will not change.

"Despite being under EMCO, they are still illegal immigrants. The law that is being enforced makes no difference either before or after the EMCO. They are still wrong for encroaching into the country, so their status is the same," he told a press conference here today.

Yesterday, a human rights group, Tenaganita, was among those who criticised the authorities for conducting detention operations at several locations in the capital.

Ismail Sabri added that those who made the allegations should instead thank the government for looking after the welfare of the illegal immigrants throughout the EMCO and keeping them COVID-19 free.

"The Immigration Department of Malaysia (JIM) has taken them to the immigration depot. They, who were not satisfied, should be thankful to the government for screening these immigrants and finding them COVID-19 free.

"Imagine if they had gone back and bringing with them COVID-19 disease to their families. Claims that we are cruel is wrong because during the EMCO, they had the same food as our people," he added.