Immigration Faces Challenges in Deporting Undocumented Migrants

Maldives Immigration has reported challenges in deporting migrants at the authority’s Detention Centre due to the lack of proper documentation.

Speaking on SSTV’s ‘Baaru Hathareh’ programme, Deputy Head of Enforcement and Compliance Division Ismail Shareef stated that many detained migrants lack documentation. This has made deportation efforts difficult, as locating passports is often required, and these are usually held by agents.

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Shareef highlighted the issue of identifying the nationality of undocumented migrants. Without clear nationalities, Immigration is unable to request necessary documents from embassies through the Foreign Ministry. As a result, many migrants remain in detention for extended periods.

However, Shareef noted that deporting migrants with proper documentation is much quicker, with the process completed within a week.

The government has initiated efforts to address the issue of illegal immigration, with hopes to resolve the matter in the coming years.