During these operations, officers screened 137,603 individuals on-site and detained 37,313 undocumented foreigners. Penalizing employers has also become a central focus: 1,809 employers suspected of hiring or sheltering undocumented workers were investigated, 1,692 of whom are Malaysian citizens. Ministry records indicate a continued high-pressure campaign: employer arrests jumped from 346 in 2023 to 1,859 in 2024, peaked at 2,202 in 2025, and reached 1,809 in the first nine months of this year alone.
Authorities stressed that these sweeps represent routine, permanent enforcement rather than a temporary campaign. While Malaysia welcomes foreign nationals who arrive through legal work channels, enforcement teams will continue to pursue both unauthorized workers and the employers who harbor them.
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