Maldives Immigration received information through Immigration Watch, a platform for reporting undocumented expatriates, about a location where food was being prepared and delivered.
Four additional expatriates were detained from a large-scale food preparation business on Wednesday night as part of an ongoing operation to identify and address undocumented expatriates living in the Maldives.
Maldives Immigration received information through Immigration Watch, a platform for reporting undocumented expatriates, about a location where food was being prepared and delivered.
Following a search of the premises, four expatriates were detained.
Photos released by Immigration show that the food preparation area was unsanitary, with no measures in place to ensure cleanliness. The images reveal rice being cooked in large pots, then packed into plastic bags and piled on a surface. While things inside the premises looked to be in disarray, the items also appeared unclean.
In the past seven months, a total of 2,013 undocumented expatriates have been deported, according to Immigration. The agency has decided not to permit those detained under these conditions to enter the legal framework.
Authorities have recently intensified their crackdown on undocumented expatriates and those engaged in illegal activities, including operating small businesses, running stalls at local markets, and working in spas that serve as fronts for prostitution.
Immigration has stated that it will continue to investigate businesses run by undocumented and ensure that expatriates are compliant with the law. The operation will continue until these objectives are achieved, Immigration said.
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