Philippines tells Filipinos to brace for Malaysian crackdown
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Philippine government has asked Filipinos in Malaysia to brace for a possible crackdown on illegal immigration in the Southeast Asian country, where it estimates about 400,000 Filipinos live illegally.
The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila said a Malaysian amnesty program for illegal immigrants that began in 2016 ends Thursday and advised Filipinos, especially those without immigration permits, to expect a crackdown as early as Friday.
The department said the Philippine Embassy in Malaysia has helped 5,844 Filipinos without immigration papers since the amnesty was launched in January 2016.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}It said that number is less than 1 percent of the estimated 400,000 undocumented Filipinos in Malaysia.
The Philippines is a major labor exporter and has faced many migrant labor crises.