Expatriates flee upon sighting immigration officers during Wednesday's raid operations

On Wednesday, expatriates attempted to flee upon spotting a large team of Immigration officers dispatched to identify undocumented immigrants residing in the Maldives. Upon seeing the officers from a distance, some expatriates left their locations and tried to hide inside stores and narrow alleyways.

In addition to Controller General of Immigration Mohamed Shamaan Waheed, 211 officers had undertaken the raid operations. Divided into 52 groups, they inspected 26 locations in Male' Area yesterday.

Shamaan and Deputy Controller of Immigration, Ahmed Ashfan, personally questioned expatriates working at the local market in Malé and at business stalls to review the validity of their permits.

Entering local shops without prior notice during the operation proceeded between 16:00 hrs to 18:00 hrs, officers had inspected documents of immigrants and brought those in violation of the law under their custody.

At the first sight of Immigration officers, Baazaar Red Apple Maldives shut their gates in an attempt to appear temporarily closed and evade scrutiny. However, the officers opened the gates and entered the premises to verify the presence of expatriates.

Immigration officers found an expatriate hiding inside the store, which had a small staircase leading to a ceiling space, and detained the person.

Mihaaru News reported that the expatriate was blacklisted due to fleeing from his employer.

Reporters from Mihaaru News at the scene also observed that two locals present at the store had attempted to hide the expatriate inside the premises.

Additionally, locals at market stalls reported that expatriates inside the local marketplace had scattered after spotting the Immigration team.

Speaking at a press conference in Social Center following the inspection, Controller Shamaan said that aiding and housing undocumented expatriates is against the law, warning that such actions will warrant penalization in compliance with the institution's governing framework.

"Under the Immigration law, penalties such as fines are imposed on individuals found in violation. Action will be taken against those observed engaging in such conduct during inspections," he said.

Meanwhile, Kulhudhuffushi Council expressed concerns yesterday over an influx of expatriates fleeing to local islands as operations to track down and deport undocumented expatriate workers intensifies. Addressing this, Shamaan assured that their work will be expanded to local islands very soon to tackle the issue.

A large number of expatriates were taken into Immigration custody during Wednesday's inspection. Shamaan assured that information from each group will be compiled and disclosed at a later date.

Since taking office nine months ago, the government has focused heavily on identifying undocumented expatriates residing in the Maldives. From November 17, 2023, until Sunday this week, over 3,000 immigrants have been deported, and more than 200 locations have been raided as part of these efforts.

Addressing the issue of unauthorized expatriate workers and deporting them remains a top priority assigned to Minister of Homeland Security and Technology, Ali Ihusaan, by President Dr Mohamed Muizzu.