Late in the night on September 13, the V8 Hotel in Johor Bahru suddenly became unusually lively. It wasn't tourists checking in late, but immigration enforcement vehicles blocking the front entrance. Guests fast asleep in their rooms were jolted awake by the commotion, watching teams of officers go door-to-door conducting checks.
Video footage from the scene shows numerous foreign nationals being rounded up on the ground floor and loaded onto a large truck to be taken away. The hotel has long seen a mixed crowd of travelers coming and going, but this time it finally became the main target of a major sweep.
Local media report that enforcement agencies have yet to release specific details about the operation. Meanwhile, bystanders lit up cigarettes by the roadside to watch the spectacle, with many saying that these midnight crackdowns are bound to happen again soon.
