Jakarta. Indonesia’s immigration authorities at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport prevented the departure of 137 non-procedural Indonesian migrant worker candidates (CPMI) during the 2025 Christmas and 2026 New Year holiday period, citing strong indicators of illegal overseas employment.

Head of the airport’s Class I Special Immigration Office, Galih Kartika Perdhana, said the group planned to travel to Asian destinations such as Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, and Hong Kong, as well as Middle Eastern countries including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, locations often linked to illegal migrant worker placements.

“They all claimed to be tourists on holiday,” Galih said on Tuesday.

“But during deeper checks, they were unable to clearly explain their travel plans, such as how long they would stay or where they would be accommodated.”

According to Galih, from January through Dec. 29, 2025, Soekarno-Hatta Immigration prevented 2,917 passengers from departing Indonesia. Of that total, 1,905 were identified as non-procedural CPMI and potential victims of human trafficking and migrant smuggling.

Head of the airport’s Immigration Checkpoint (TPI) unit Jerry Prima said detection has become increasingly complex as prospective migrant workers have learned inspection patterns. Still, officers apply a two-layer screening system combining behavioral observation and brief interviews at immigration counters, supported by the Subject of Interest (SOI) database, particularly for travelers with prior non-procedural CPMI records.

“Early indications usually appear through suspicious behavior, inconsistent answers during interviews, or an inability to explain travel plans, such as tickets, accommodation, or who is financing the trip,” Jerry said.

Beyond blocking departures, the immigration office also rejected 197 passport applications throughout 2025 that were suspected of links to human trafficking or migrant smuggling. Most applicants initially claimed tourism purposes, but later admitted plans to work abroad illegally when questioned further.

All intercepted non-procedural CPMI cases were coordinated with BP3MI for guidance and data collection, and with Soekarno-Hatta Airport Police for cases indicating trafficking or smuggling victims.

Immigration authorities reiterated their commitment to tightening supervision and vigilance to protect Indonesian citizens from exploitation, especially during extended holiday periods such as Christmas and New Year.