Allegedly Non-Procedural, Yogyakarta Immigration Office Prevents Departure Of 93 PMIs

YOGYAKARTA - Class I Immigration Office at the Yogyakarta Immigration Checkpoint (TPI) postponed the departure of 93 Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) who were suspected of being non-procedural to go abroad as a commitment to prevent the crime of human trafficking (TPPO).

"That's 93 accumulated data from the beginning of this year. So our data for 2023 is that delays in departures are suspected to be non-procedural migrant workers," said Yogyakarta Immigration Office head Najarudin Safaat quoted by ANTARA, Friday, June 16.

Najarudin said that dozens of migrant workers were prevented from leaving the country when they wanted to leave through Yogyakarta International Airport (YIA).

The postponement of Indonesian citizens' departure, he said, was based on Minister of Law and Human Rights Regulation Number 44 of 2015 concerning Procedures for Checking Entries and Exits of Indonesian Territory.

"In Yogyakarta (YIA) (direct flights) are only to Singapore and Malaysia, there are no destinations to other countries," he explained.

As a form of immigration control, according to Najarudin, officers at TPI will examine every Indonesian citizen who is going to leave Indonesia, one of which is by checking documents, as well as their intentions and purposes for leaving.

If you can't explain the purpose and purpose of going abroad correctly and convincingly, and can't show a return ticket, according to him, officers are allowed to delay departure.

"If it is proven that the person concerned is suspected of working but not procedurally, he admits to working abroad but not through procedures, then we will coordinate with BP2MI (Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Agency)," he said.

Najarudin emphasized that the delay in departure was a commitment by the Yogyakarta Immigration Office to prevent Human Trafficking.

If it is confirmed that the 93 PMIs are illegal, according to him, the Yogyakarta Immigration Office will coordinate with BP2MI to trace who is the party behind the sending of the non-procedural migrant workers.

"Indeed, usually Human Trafficking is organized. Who is the recruiter, who is in charge of making the documents, usually those people are there. But to be able to reach there, immigration itself is a bit difficult," said Najarudin.