This is said to have hindered the United Nations agency’s ability to identify refugees and assess conditions at the depots, including Baitul Mahabbah centres which are for children aged 10 and below.
The human rights watchdog said the immigration department had significantly ramped up raids last year, with about 34,000 migrants arrested between January and May.
It pointed out that, as of July 2025, about 18,000 migrants were held in the detention centres, adding that those detained included refugees and asylum seekers.
“Refugees and migrants face indefinite detention in overcrowded and unhygienic conditions.
“Since 2019, the government has denied UNHCR access to immigration detention centres and Baitul Mahabbah centres,” HRW said in its World Report 2026 launched today.
HRW’s report contradicts home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail’s repeated assertions that no such ban had been imposed on UNHCR.
In December, Saifuddin said the government had never denied any request to visit immigration detention centres, adding that only two such requests were made in 2025.
Earlier, he had said his ministry was prepared to allow UNHCR to visit the immigration depots, subject to “several procedures”.
HRW said there were about 210,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia who were registered with UNHCR, including around 64,800 children.
However, since Malaysia has not ratified the 1951 Refugee Convention, these refugees are not allowed to formally work or enrol in government schools.
The rights group said there was also a lack of domestic asylum procedures for these refugees.
In 2024, HRW released a report claiming human rights violations and abuses at detention centres in Malaysia, detailing experiences by former detainees concerning instances of torture, among others, endured by refugees and asylum seekers.
Saifuddin rubbished the report, saying HRW “could not produce an iota of evidence” on the incidents that allegedly took place at the 20 immigration detention centres mentioned in their report.
The group nonetheless maintained that its report was based on intensive on-the-ground fact-finding, legal analysis and a thorough review.