630 foreign nationals detained in raid at Kedah construction site

The arrests involved various immigration offences under Section 6(1)(c) and Section 15(1)(c) of Malaysia’s Immigration Act 1959/63, as well as Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963.

Malaysia’s Immigration Department (JIM) has detained 630 foreign nationals during a large-scale enforcement operation at a construction site in Padang Meha, Kulim, Kedah, on 12 October 2026.

The operation, conducted at approximately 11am under Ops MEGA, was based on information and intelligence gathered by JIM’s Intelligence and Special Operations Division and the Kedah Immigration Department.

A total of 159 immigration officers took part in the operation, according to a media statement issued by the Kedah Immigration Department on 13 October.

The team comprised officers from JIM Headquarters’ Enforcement Division, the Intelligence and Special Operations Division, the Special Tactical Team (PASTAK), and immigration departments in Kedah, Perlis, Perak, Kuala Lumpur, and Negeri Sembilan.

During the operation, officers checked 697 foreign nationals and Malaysian citizens. A total of 630 foreign nationals, aged between 18 and 50, were detained. They comprised 622 men and eight women.

Chinese nationals accounted for the largest group, with 396 people detained, comprising 391 men and five women. This was followed by 199 Bangladeshi nationals, including 198 men and one woman.

The remaining detainees comprised 10 Pakistani men, seven Myanmar men, five Indian men, four Ghanaian men, three Nigerian men, two Kenyan men, two Indonesian women, one New Zealand man and one Senegalese man.

The arrests involved various immigration offences under Section 6(1)(c) and Section 15(1)(c) of Malaysia’s Immigration Act 1959/63, as well as Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963.

During the operation, six summonses to witnesses were issued to assist with investigations.

The department also reported attempts by some of those detained to evade arrest by hiding in high-risk areas, including climbing onto the roof of an unfinished building. Provocative actions by a group of detainees against immigration officers also created tension, requiring officers to act swiftly to bring the situation under control.

The operation, conducted across a construction site spanning nearly 500,000 square metres, presented additional safety and logistical challenges.

Heavy rain left surfaces slippery and pathways muddy, while stagnant water created further difficulties. Other hazards included unfinished building structures, lift shafts, exposed reinforcing steel, scattered construction materials, moving heavy machinery and work at height.

In response, the Kedah Immigration Department reminded employers, main contractors and subcontractors to ensure that all foreign workers under their employment hold valid travel documents and passes or permits, and comply with immigration requirements.

The department said it would continue to intensify enforcement action to ensure compliance with Malaysia’s immigration laws.

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Lead image / Kedah Immigration Department