Fortify Rights legal director Eric Paulsen, who criticised the move, noted that such a broad-based immigration sweep was wrong as seen in the past.

“There will be serious human rights abuses – wrongful arrests, prolonged detention, assaults and even deaths in detention.

“These migrant workers have contributed to our country. They are doing the 3D work – difficult, dirty and dangerous – that locals shun. So why target them?” he questioned in a series of tweets.

Paulsen’s comments are in response to immigration director-general Mustafar Ali’s statement that the department would further intensify the operation to detain illegal immigrants after Aug 30.

Mustafar was reported by Bernama as saying those who would be detained also include the employers who hire and harbour undocumented migrant workers.

Paulsen pointed out that the authorities must first clean up the system, that allows for so many migrant workers to be brought in supposedly legally, only to find that there was insufficient work.

“They are then outsourced, passport withheld, work permit not done properly, and cheated by agents,” he said.

Paulsen said many migrant workers spend more than RM10,000 and RM20,000 to work legally in Malaysia, but when they arrive, they find that the promised work did not exist.

“(They are) basically cheated. So what are they to do in order to recoup the money they have spent?

“So what happens to those migrant workers who were cheated by the agents or employers? Is it not unfair to target them when they have done their part to work legally in Malaysia, paid so much, often from borrowed money?” he said.

Paulsen also cautioned that at the end of the sweep, there would be the inevitable serious shortage of workers, various industries would then complain, and the authorities would relent and migrants would be allowed to work or brought in again.

“The truth is bringing in migrant workers is a highly lucrative business. Companies with connections are allowed to bring in thousands of workers but cannot guarantee work as promised. But they don’t care as they would have profited,” he said.

Paulsen stated that the issues concerning migrant workers should be placed under the Human Resources Ministry as they would know the needs of the industries better than the Home Ministry.

“Workers are here to work. They should not be treated as a ‘security’ issue,” he added.

So far, more than 3,000 undocumented migrants have been arrested for various offences nationwide in Op Mega, which was launched on July 1.

Immigration: Illegals have till Aug 30 to turn themselves in