24 Foreigners Sent to Immigration Detention Center for Overstaying in Bali
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3 June 2024 22:29 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Bali Immigration sent 24 foreigners caught overstaying at the end of last May to the Immigration Detention Center. "This is a temporary shelter just until they have the money to go home," said the acting head of the Information Technology Department of Bali’s Immigration, Putu Suhendra, when contacted by Tempo via telephone, Monday, June 3, 2024.
The foreigners had overstayed in Indonesia for over sixty days, Putu said. He explained that the immigration officers are investigating whether they merely violated their stay permit or committed other violations.
They were arrested as a follow-up to public reports about overstaying foreigners who commit fraud. "We are still investigating the alleged fraud," he said. After receiving the report, Putu said that the Ngurah Rai Immigration Intelligence and Enforcement Agency patrolled the Kuta area on Tuesday, May 28, 2024.
Of the total 24 foreigners detained, 22 came from Nigeria, one from Tanzania, and one from Ghana. All of them were men, and nine did not have passports.
Overstaying foreigners is not a new phenomenon in Indonesia. Based on data from the Directorate General of Immigration, for the January- March 2023 period alone, 620 foreigners have been deported. They were expelled from Indonesia for several reasons, including visa and residence permit issues, overstaying, disturbing public order, and violating existing legal regulations.
Quoted from Antara, in just one year in 2023, Bali deported 340 foreigners, an increase from the previous year which recorded 188 deportations. It is not uncommon for these detained foreigners to also undergo trial over other criminal charges aside from overstaying.
JIHAN RISTIYANTI
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