Ismail was quoted as saying that under the emergency ordinance, the government would be able to enact rules to better allow them to manage the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Like now, the army can arrest undocumented workers. They can take direct action by arresting them and putting them in lock-up,” Ismail had said.

In a statement, Tenaganita executive director Glorene Das said comments like this “demonise” foreign workers and highlight the deeper failures in the immigration system.

“Covid-19 test results currently indicate that the number of positive cases is now higher among the local population than among migrant workers.

“Hence, the senior minister should not try to shift the blame onto migrant workers, instead of rectifying weaknesses in the current system of dealing with the pandemic.”

She said this sentiment would intensify existing animosity towards migrants and would create an inhumane environment for them.

The use of detention is not an effective strategy, she added, as it fails to address the core reasons why migrant workers may be undocumented, such as unethical employers, recruiting agencies and intermediaries.

Instead, she said, the government must focus on addressing issues raised in a Public Accounts Committee report from November which identified deeper problems.

These included the granting of excessive special approvals, entry of workers who failed medical exams, existence of middlemen in the process and tampering with the database.

“The statement by the senior minister is an admission that immigration authorities and other relevant enforcement have been unable to secure our borders effectively, and hence the need for emergency powers.

“Using the emergency, calling on the military to hunt and arrest undocumented migrants without legal process is clear misuse of power,” she said.