LAHAD DATU: Oct 13, 2026 — A total of 280 Filipino undocumented migrant detainees were repatriated to their home country by sea to Bongao Port in the Philippines today.
The transfer using a commercial ferry was carried out by the Sabah Immigration Department from the Tawau Immigration Depot through the Customs, Immigration, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) Complex in Lahad Datu.
The detainees comprised 193 adult men, 51 adult women, 16 boys and 20 girls, aged between one month and 90 years.
Apart from the sea route, Sabah Immigration also carried out a series of deportations by air on Oct 10.
These involved four male Chinese detainees repatriated via Tawau Airport to Guangzhou, and 11 female Filipino detainees from Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) to Manila.
To date, the total number of undocumented migrants successfully deported by Sabah Immigration has reached 5,915 people, involving various nationalities.
A Sabah Immigration spokesman confirmed that all the detainees had completed their sentences under national laws and were provided with valid travel documents before the repatriation process was carried out.
sumber: Jabatan Imigresen Negeri Sabah
