According to Maldives Immigration, ten foreigners were detained in Male’ City on Tuesday during a joint operation targeting individuals working illegally in the Maldives. The operation, conducted this morning, involved searches at nine cafes across the capital. Immigration stated that the arrests are part of ongoing efforts to address the longstanding issue of undocumented expatriates working in commercial establishments.

The enforcement effort was carried out by a task force consisting of Immigration, Police, the Homeland Security Ministry, and the Economic Ministry, which has been conducting coordinated operations in recent weeks. In a similar raid on the night of July 5, twenty-seven undocumented immigrants were arrested.

This crackdown is part of the third phase of Operation Kurangi, launched by the Homeland Security Ministry on May 9, aimed at identifying and gathering information on foreigners working without proper documentation in the Male’ region.

Last May, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu stated that more than 12,000 irregular immigrants had been deported since his administration took office. He also mentioned that biometrics have been collected from 206,400 individuals, although data for approximately one percent of foreigners remains unavailable.