Of the 125 immigration offices across the country, five recorded the highest number of non-procedural migrant workers. They were Pematang Siantar in North Sumatra, Jambi and Blitar in East Java, Medan in North Sumatra, and Kediri in East Java.

Immigration officers declined to issue the passports and required the suspected migrant workers to comply with the administrative regulations, such as providing letters of recommendation from the Manpower Ministry or their local manpower offices.

Moreover, in the same period, immigration officials stopped 465 suspected undocumented migrant workers from going abroad in several locations, such as Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten; Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, East Java; and the Entikong border post in West Kalimantan.

To prevent illegal migration, immigration officials conduct close inspections and in-depth interviews with suspected migrant workers. These steps in tightening the immigration rules represent the efforts to protect Indonesian workers from being trafficked to foreign countries.

In addition, the Immigration Directorate General also frequently holds public discussions to raise awareness about illegal immigration and human trafficking.

The most recent talk was held at SMK 1 state vocational school in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, on Oct. 9. Speaking at the event were I Gusti Nyoman Rahmad Taufiq, the head of the Kupang immigration office, and Anak Agung Gede Kusumaputra, the head of the Kupang immigration intelligence department of the Law and Human Rights Ministry.

The event sought to provide information on immigration rules and to equip local students to deal with human traffickers.

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