Its director-general, Khairul Dzaimee Daud, said 202 immigrants from Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Myanmar and India, including 12 women and two children, were checked during the 11pm operation.

They were between four and 50 years old.

He said 156 were detained for not having valid travel and identification documents before being taken to the department’s screening centre in Putrajaya for further action.

The raid on the settlement, which had access to water supply and electricity through illegal connections, was carried out in collaboration with several enforcement agencies, including police, the Malaysian Civil Defence Force and the National Registration Department, after three months of intelligence.

“This illegal settlement has the potential to spread Covid-19 infections because it doesn’t comply with SOPs stipulated under the movement control order (MCO),” he said.

In another development, Khairul Dzaimee denied allegations that the department only took action against illegal immigrants, but not their employers.

“The claims are untrue because in 2019, a total of 1,052 employers were charged in court with various offences under the Immigration Act, involving a total fine of RM19.3 million,” he said.

He said that last year, 519 employers were brought to court and fined a total of more than RM10 million.

As of last month, 130 employers were slapped with fines amounting to RM3.2 million.

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