The Maldives Immigration department has conducted raids across the country in search of illegal expatriate workers. The purpose of these raids is to identify and apprehend individuals who are residing and working in the Maldives without proper documentation.
Under this operation, a total of 66 illegal expatriate workers have been identified and taken into custody. Among them, 65 are Bangladeshi nationals, while one is an Indian national. The Immigration department has targeted various locations, including expatriates’ work sites, accommodation blocks, and major caterers, in their efforts to curb the issue of illegal expatriate labor.
The Maldivian government had previously initiated efforts to repatriate illegal expatriate workers back to their home countries in June. These efforts were undertaken after the completion and utilization of a dedicated detention center to hold such individuals. The recent raids are a continuation of the government’s commitment to tackle the issue of illegal expatriate workers in the Maldives.
In addition to the raids, the Immigration department had also carried out an operation last month where expatriates gathering at popular sports venues in Male’ City were questioned. Individuals found to be living illegally in the Maldives were subsequently taken into custody.
To address the broader issue of illegal expatriate workers, the government had implemented a program aimed at documenting and repatriating such individuals. As part of this program, around 13,000 expatriate workers were registered, and approximately 24,000 workers were successfully repatriated to their respective native countries. This program is a collaborative effort between the Maldives Immigration department, the Economic Ministry, and the Foreign Ministry.
