Maldives deports 4,361 undocumented expats
Immigration department's goal is to deport 5,000 illegal expatriate workers by the end of the year.
Immigration Controller Shamman Waheed on Tuesday announced that 4,361 people have been deported so far this year as part of the immigration department's goal to deport 5,000 illegal expatriate workers by the end of the year.
Speaking at a press conference at the President's Office, Shamman provided details on the progress of the deportation efforts.
“As of October 21, we have deported 4,361 foreigners, working toward our target of 5,000 illegal immigrants for the year,” he said.
The deportees include individuals who either voluntarily left the Maldives after being taken into immigration custody or those who were issued a notice to leave the country.
Currently, there are 135 foreigners in the detention centre under the custody of the immigration department, comprising 121 men and 12 women.
The immigration department is conducting special operations to locate and deport illegal immigrants, and a portal has been introduced to facilitate the reporting of such individuals. According to Shamman, 861 cases have been reported through the Immigration Watch portal so far, with 596 cases addressed.
In addition, Shamman noted that 51 foreigners have been detained this year for attempting to cross the border illegally.
“There is a noticeable trend of people attempting to enter the Maldives using counterfeit or forged passports, leading to the detention of 51 individuals at the border this year,” he added.
