Cambodia has sent home a massive number of illegal foreign nationals over the past three years, and the figures are hard to ignore. According to the Ministry of Interior, authorities deported more than 70,000 people from 96 countries between 2023 and September 2026, mainly targeting cyber scam operations and visa overstayers.
Chinese nationals made up the largest group by far, accounting for over 30,000 of those deported, with a huge portion tied to online fraud networks. Citizens from Indonesia and Vietnam followed close behind. The tempo has been relentless—in the first eight months of 2026 alone, the government kicked out more than 50,000 people.
Right now, over 1,600 foreign nationals remain in local detention centers awaiting processing and flights back home. Local media have been keeping a close eye on the situation, pointing out how deep the online scam issue ran and how much effort the government has poured into clearing it out. You can even feel the shift on the streets, where police document checks have become a regular sight and everyone is keeping their guard up.
