Support Zero TIP Cases, Bogor Immigration Tightens Procedures For Passport Application Interviews

Passport illustration (Photo: Shutterstock)

In order to prevent the issuance of passports with fake identities, the Immigration Office Class I Non TPI Bogor has tightened the interview stages for each applicant.

It also aims to prevent criminal acts of trafficking in persons (TPPO) so that there are zero cases of passport forgery problems.

In general, the Head of the Class I Immigration Office of Non TPI Bogor, Ruhiyat M Tolib, explained that until now the application for public passports in the Bogor area was well served. All applicants and passports who have been released to date have procedural mediated and prioritized TIP prevention.

Referring to data in the last three months, the Bogor Immigration Office has rejected 10 passport applications which are indicated to be working abroad non-procedurally and strongly suspected to be TIP victims.

He said, the factors that cause TIP in Indonesia, such as economic, geographical, and social-culture factors. From the Immigration side, passport making in Bogor is well monitored.

"According to the rules, it is strict enough to identify the suitability of the identity. There is no complaint report of the applicant, all of which have so far been strictly enforced, which is not appropriate to be rejected," said Ruhiyat, Saturday, November 9.

Ruhiyat explained that the handling of criminal acts of trafficking in persons (TPPO) in Indonesia is regulated by Law (UU) Number 21 of 2007 and Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No. 49 of 2023.

The TIP includes elements of the process, method, and purpose of exploitation, which can include recruitment, transportation, and use of victims for various forms of exploitation such as the practice of prostitution, forced labor, being an operator of online gambling to the trade of organs.

The role of immigration to prevent TIP is to conduct in-depth interviews with every party who applies for a passport. By conducting an in-depth interview, said Ruhiyat, the immigration authorities can find out the real reason behind the passport submission.

"If there are indications of abuse in the future or the data is deemed incomplete, then the application can be suspended or rejected," he said.

According to Ruhiyat, Bogor Immigration always checks authentic evidence of the identities of the applicants.

"Most of the rejections were because the applicant could not show authentic evidence of identity with passport requirements or there was also something less convincing when answering some of the officer's questions. There were even those who during the interview stated that they would work abroad but did not know what to do there," he explained.

In addition to monitoring through the system, in order to prevent acts of trafficking in persons, the Bogor Immigration Office formed a Binaan Village in Cisarua Village, Cisarua District, Bogor Regency by deploying officers to educate the public starting from the village level.

Ruhiyat said that the establishment of the Immigration Development Village aims to provide information and education in areas where the population contains PMI (Indonesian Migrant Workers), as a measure to prevent potential trafficking in persons.

"This prevention effort also collaborates actively with relevant agencies such as BP3MI, the police, TNI, Districts, Villages, and community leaders in the formation of the Immigration Development Village," he said.

Ruhiyat added that the socialization of the further Immigration Development Village is an important agenda that will be carried out to educate the local community.