Jakarta. Bali has deported 378 foreigners throughout the third quarter of 2024 as of September 9, government data showed.

This marked an increase compared to 2023 figures during which 335 foreigners got deported by the immigration offices at Ngurah Rai, Denpasar, Singaraja, as well as the immigration detention center at Denpasar. Data showed that the Denpasar immigration detention center recorded the most deportations with a total of 203 deportees.

According to the immigration directorate general, deportation accounts for 73.64 percent of the total number of immigration administrative actions in the first six months of 2024, where 1,503 foreigners were deported from Indonesia. This number has increased by 135.21 percent compared to the first semester of 2023 during which 639 foreigners faced deportation.

"The increasing mobility of foreigners must be aligned with greater vigilance towards their activities," Immigration Director General Silmy Karim was quoted as saying in a recent press statement.

The immigration directorate general has held national-scale operations that caught 914 foreigners in May and 1,293 foreigners in July. Bali also had a similar operation in June which caught 103 foreign citizens suspected of being part of an international cybercrime syndicate.

"I will not stop urging officials both at the central and regional levels to act responsively to potential foreign disturbances that arise. To provide a deterrent effect and maintain the dignity of the Indonesian government, immigration officers throughout Indonesia conduct both incidental and periodic surveillance, in urban areas and at borders,” Silmy said.

He added: “Wherever there are foreigners violating the rules, we will take action.”