Maldives Immigration is encountering significant hurdles in repatriating migrants from its Detention Centre, according to Ismail Shareef, Deputy Head of the Enforcement and Compliance Division. Many detainees lack valid documentation, complicating the deportation process, he said.
In an interview on SSTV’s “Baaru Hathareh” programme, Shareef explained that many detainees do not have their passports, which are sometimes held by agents. “Since they are residing illegally, locating these documents is a challenging task,” Shareef said.
An additional issue is identifying the nationalities of undocumented migrants. Without confirmation of their countries of origin, the Immigration Department is unable to request necessary documents from foreign embassies, leading to prolonged detention periods.
In contrast, migrants with valid documentation are processed more efficiently, with most being deported within a week of their arrival at the centre.
To address illegal migration, Operation Kurangi was launched on May 2, 2024, aiming to identify undocumented workers. Despite these efforts, the process remains complex due to the issues with documentation and nationality verification.
