Maldives Immigration says it has detained several individuals after searching the fishing vessels near the Male' fish market.
Immigration said the search was conducted after it received several complaints that expatriates were conducting illegal businesses on these vessels and in the surrounding areas.
It said 39 individuals were detained after the search of the vessels docked near the area. The local authorities did not confirm the immigration status of those arrested in the raids.
Immigration has been teaming up with Police to conduct raids and searches on businesses that employ migrant workers to ensure that they are legal and documented.
Authorities are also inspecting places where foreigners are known to make food items to sell to their community and locals. Some of the places that have been raided showed highly unhygienic conditions.
On Sunday, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu revealed that this government has deported more illegal expatriates in its one-year office than in the last three years combined.
He noted when the Government took office, the number of illegal immigrants was unknown. However, he said with efforts taken to address this issue, 5,012 expatriates have been repatriated, surpassing the number deported in the previous three years combined.
The Government has now brought all relevant institutions under one umbrella to address issues of illegal immigration, gang crimes, and drug-related problems.
