Hajj Task Force Prevents Departure of 80 Suspected Illegal Indonesian Pilgrims

The Task Force for the Prevention and Enforcement of Hajj and Umrah Implementation has successfully prevented the departure of 80 Indonesian citizens suspected of intending to perform the hajj pilgrimage illegally via several international airports in Indonesia. The Secretary of the Directorate General for Hajj and Umrah Organisational Development at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Rizka Anungnata, stressed that the government this year requires all pilgrims to use official hajj visas to enter Saudi Arabia. “Therefore, non-hajj visas are not permitted. On that basis, the Ministry of Religious Affairs, together with Immigration and the National Police Criminal Investigation Agency, formed the Task Force for the Prevention and Enforcement of Hajj and Umrah Implementation since April,” Rizka stated during a press conference at the Pondok Gede Hajj Hostel in East Jakarta on Friday (8/5/2026). According to Rizka, the task force was established because many people still attempt to depart for hajj through non-procedural channels using various methods. “During every hajj season, there have been many incidents involving or attempting to perform hajj in non-procedural ways. For this reason, we took the initiative with the National Police and Immigration to prevent it,” she said.