Indonesian Immigration Arrests 37 Foreigners for Overstay, Most from Africa

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A total of 37 foreigners were arrested by the Immigration Office Class 1 Central Jakarta in Operation Wira Waspada.

"The majority of whom are citizens of African countries, especially Nigeria," said Ronald Arman Abdullah, the head of the Central Jakarta Immigration Office, during a meeting on Monday, June 30, 2025.

Ronald said the arrest was carried out by the Intelligence and Immigration Enforcement Division (Inteldakim) as part of the joint foreigner supervision team (Timpora).

During the operation, Timpora officers found dozens of foreigners lacking valid travel documents such as passports and overstayed for more than 60 days. 

"This action violates the provisions of Article 75 of Immigration Law No. 6 of 2011. Administrative immigration measures such as deportation will be taken against them," said Ronald.

According to Ronald, some of those detained were suspected to have been living in Indonesia for a long time and engaging in online fraud activities. "Some also attempted to abuse their status by claiming to be refugees to circumvent legal action," said Ronald.

The foreign nationals are being held in detention at the Central Jakarta Immigration Office for further processing before being deported to their home countries.

A number of apprehended Foreign Nationals claim to be refugees

Out of the 37 foreigners apprehended in the operation, some of them claimed to be refugees. According to Ronald, independent refugees who now reside in Central Jakarta have become a serious issue that must be addressed. Thus, Timpora called for a meeting with various relevant parties to tackle the issue, including the UN refugee agency UNHCR. 

"Hopefully these agencies will handle the matters and not burden the Immigration, which is not fully authorized," said Ronald at the Tavia Heritage Hotel in Central Jakarta on Monday.

Local governments must also be involved in addressing the issue of refugees, including district heads, regional police, the military, Immigration, and the Prosecutor's Office. "These independent refugees have no housing and living expenses guarantee. This is different from refugees who are provided with guarantees from UNHCR," he added.

Based on UNHCR data, there are 197 refugees in Central Jakarta, consisting of 133 men and 46 women. They come from various countries, with the majority being from Somalia, Afghanistan, Cameroon, Yemen, Pakistan, and Palestine. They are scattered across 9 districts in Central Jakarta, namely Cempaka Putih, Gambir, Johar Baru, Kemayoran, Menteng, Palmerah, Sawah Besar, Senen, and Tanah Abang.

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