MACHANG, Oct 17 (Bernama) -- Immigration depots nationwide are facing capacity pressures due to daily enforcement operations against undocumented migrants, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said.
He said the depots had a combined capacity of about 20,000 people, but the continuous arrival of individuals detained during enforcement operations had led to overcrowding.
The increase in detainees is also result of the Immigration Department’s mapping of areas with high concentrations of foreign nationals based on data collected and analysed from enforcement operations nationwide.
“The mapping exercise enables the authorities to identify areas that are frequently used as settlements or gathering places by foreign nationals.
“Those detained may include individuals without travel documents, those holding expired passes, those who have misused their passes, or individuals with refugee status,” he said.
Saifuddin Nasution was speaking at a press conference after attending the Home Ministry’s 2026 MADANI Adopted Village and MADANI Adopted School launch ceremony here today.
He said action against each category had to take into account the individuals’ respective status and legal position, adding that enforcement operations also involved other enforcement agencies and local authorities.
Meanwhile, Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu had been identified as the four states recording drug-related case rates above the national threshold, based on figures per 100,000 population.
Saifuddin Nasution explained that the assessment was based on data from four sources, using a calculation method that referred to international standards.
Pendang in Kedah recorded the highest rate in the country, followed by Kuala Krai in second place.
Other districts identified were Tumpat, Tanah Merah and Bachok in Kelantan, as well as Besut in Terengganu, all of which recorded rates exceeding 1,000 cases per 100,000 population.
The data would be used to identify areas requiring more targeted prevention and enforcement measures, he said.
Saifuddin Nasution stressed that cooperation between the Home Ministry, National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK), police and state governments was crucial to intensifying awareness and prevention programmes in the affected areas.
These efforts would include community outreach programmes to educate the public and raise awareness of the dangers of drug abuse.
Meanwhile, Saifuddin Nasution said about 75 per cent of the 90,000 inmates in prisons nationwide were involved in drug-related offences.
He said most of the inmates had been involved in offences under Sections 15(1) (self-administration), 12 (restriction on import and export of certain dangerous drugs) and 39 (general penalty) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
“Of the 41 prisons nationwide, Pengkalan Chepa Prison in Kota Bharu is among the most overcrowded.
“Based on the profile of prison inmates, those aged between 15 and 39 make up the largest group, while the involvement of children under 15 in drug-related cases is also a cause for concern,” he said.
Saifuddin Nasution said the data also showed that unemployed people made up the largest group of those involved in drug abuse.
Commenting on patterns of drug abuse, he said synthetic drugs were more commonly linked to cases on the east coast, while drug use on the west coast involved a combination of synthetic and non-synthetic substances, adding that the use of synthetic drugs was particularly high because they were more readily available.
-- BERNAMA