Minister Karding Emphasizes The Need For A New Strategy To Detect Illegal Migrant Workers Departing From Batam

Minister of P2MI Abdul Kadir Karding gave information to reporters after checking the Help Desk BP3MI at Batam Center Port, Batam City, Riau Islands, Thursday (24/4/2025). ANTARA/Laily Rahmawaty

JAKARTA - Minister of Protection for Indonesian Migrant Workers (P2MI) Abdul Kadir Karding said a new strategy was needed to detect the departure of illegal Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) from Ferry Batam Center International Port, Batam City, Riau Islands (Kepri).

"The existing system is quite okay, but it needs to find a new pattern to detect it early, don't let them (illegal PMIs) escape," said Minister Karding at Batam Center Port, Riau Islands, Thursday, April 24, confiscated by Antara.

Minister Karding said Batam Center Port is one of the most popular transit destinations for perpetrators or brokers to non-procedural PMI dispatch.

Data obtained from Immigration and BP3MI in 2024 has succeeded in preventing the departure of 1,014 illegal PMIs from Batam. Then in 2025 the number increased by 2,040 people.

"(The figure) means that Batam Center is one of the transit destinations of prospective illegal migrant workers from various regions, Aceh, NTB, Sumatra, Lampung, Java and Madura," he said.

Therefore, he said, the existing prevention system needs to be tidied up and new patterns of early detection are made so that non-procedural PMI departures can be prevented as early as possible.

As today, when checking the Batam Center Port, Minister Karding found 4 people who were prevented by Batam Immigration from leaving because they were suspected of leaving to work abroad.

Minister Karding also hopes that all port officers can increase their vigilance and knowledge in recognizing prospective illegal migrant workers.

"The number that escaped may be much more than we thought. So officers must know new and more responsive patterns of the situation," he said.

This inspection activity is part of the Ministry of P2MI's commitment to eradicating the practice of trafficking in persons and protecting Indonesian migrant workers from upstream, before they leave Indonesia.