Law Enforcement Against Illegal Foreign Workers Must Not Be Selective
The Chairman of the Pelita Mandiri Federation, Achmad Ismail (Ais), has stated that law enforcement against illegal foreign workers (TKA) in Indonesia must be carried out with precision. He has called on the Ministry of Immigration and Naturalisation (Imipas) to ensure that sanctions imposed on illegal foreign workers are not applied selectively.
This statement follows allegations of discriminatory treatment between several foreign nationals who were deported and a Singaporean national with the initials TCL, who was only subjected to administrative sanctions.
After allegedly working in Indonesia without proper documentation for ten years, TCL was given an administrative sanction by the Jakarta Immigration Regional Office following an examination in January 2026.
Ais emphasised that the principle of equality before the law must not be overlooked in every process of enforcing immigration and labour regulations. “There must clearly be no discrimination in the application of the law. Equal treatment must apply to everyone, without exception,” said Ais in a statement on Monday, 16 March 2026.
Ais cited recent examples of stricter law enforcement for comparison. The Immigration Office II Non-Detention Bima, East Nusa Tenggara (NTB), deported an Australian female national with the initials SBH (26) on 6 March 2026 for working as a surfing instructor without proper documentation at Lakey Beach, Dompu.
A similar action was taken by the Class II Immigration Office Non-Detention Ketapang, Kalimantan, which deported three Chinese foreign nationals (JX, CW, and XB). All three were found to have engaged in illegal mining activities in the region. However, different treatment was allegedly applied to the Singaporean national with the initials TCL.
Bagus Ibrahim, Head of Supervision and Enforcement at the Jakarta Immigration Regional Office, stated at that time that TCL entered Indonesia in January 2026 using a visa-free visit facility. TCL was previously recorded as having worked at two companies with limited residency permits that expired on 30 October 2025. The Jakarta Immigration Regional Office then issued a warning letter and an obligation for TCL’s sponsor to report any change in immigration status.
In response to this situation, Ais called for the Imipas inspectorate or internal supervisory body to investigate further. “If there is differential treatment of foreign workers, this could be an indication for the inspectorate to investigate. If violations are found, firm action must be taken,” Ais insisted.
As of the publication of this report, the Jakarta Immigration Office I had not issued an official statement regarding developments in the TCL case. Attempts to contact the Head of Supervision and Enforcement, I Gusti Bagus Ibrahim, via text message had not received a response.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (KPK) is investigating a public report of alleged gratification related to the handling of an illegal foreign worker from Singapore with the initials TCL, which is considered suspicious.
The investigation concerns the handling of alleged violations of residency and work permits by a foreign national from Singapore with the initials TCL. The irregularity in the handling of the immigration violation involving the Singaporean foreign national has drawn scrutiny.
Weak supervision is often attributed to limited numbers of supervisory personnel and enforcement authorities that are not yet optimal. Immigration has tightened immigration supervision in industrial and mining areas involving foreign workers (TKA). This operation targets several locations, including PT IMIP.