Immigration teams in Bali have confirmed that deportations from the province continue to rise.
As Bali Immigration enters its next phase of Operation Jagratara, a crackdown focused on foreigners breaking the conditions of their visas, officials have revealed details about the latest wave of deportations from the island.
In the year to the end of August, Bali Immigration had deported a total of 417 foreigners, which was notably higher than the closing total for 2023, which was 335 deportations.
The reasons for foreigners being deported in 2024 range significantly; some people have been caught overstaying their visas, others have been caught breaking the conditions of their visas by working or operating illegal businesses, and others have been deported for non-immigration-related criminal offenses.
In an update shared on the 10th of October, the Head of Denpasar Immigration Detention Center, Gede Dudy Duwita, confirmed that earlier this week, a Dutch national was deported for breaking the conditions of her tourist visa.
The woman, known by her initials MA, first arrived in Bali in March 2022 on a tourist visa. She has been living in Bali on back-to-back tourist visas ever since.
Her last entry into the country was on 29th August 2023 on a multiple entry visitors visa, which is valid until 2025. However, each stay can be no longer than 60 days.
MA has been noted to have been living alone in a rental villa in the Nusa Dua area. She was apprehended by the authorities after she entered a luxury hotel in Nusa Dua, despite not being a guest, and helped herself to the breakfast offering.
The hotel staff quickly noted that MA was not a paying guest and called security, and the case was escalated to the general manager.
MA is said to have been given the choice to pay for her breakfast as a non-hotel guest or be handed over to the police.
MA is reported to have explained that she only had IDR 300,000 left in her name and has been unemployed for a long period of time.
Duwita explained, “While in Bali, MA, who was unemployed, relied on a monthly allowance of 1,400 Euros from the Dutch government because she was registered as a recipient of benefits due to health problems.”
Duitwa continued, “MA was proven to have violated Article 75 paragraph 1 of Law Number 6 of 2011 concerning Immigration, which states that foreign nationals who carry out dangerous activities or do not respect laws and regulations can be subject to administrative immigration actions.”
The Head of Denpasar Denetion Center confirmed that after coordinating with the Dutch Consulate, in order to speed up the deportation process, MA was deported via I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport on Tuesday with consular support.
Duwita confirmed, “MA was deported under tight guard by Denpasar Immigration Detention Center officers and has been proposed in the list of deterrents of the Directorate General of Immigration.”
He added, “We continue to strive to maintain security and order and ensure that the deportation process runs according to procedure.”
MA was not the only tourist be deported from Bali this week. Duwita also confirmed the deportation of a 34-year-old Nigerian man, known by his initials OAC, for failing to provide a passport and identity documents.
Based on the details shared with the media, it is known that OAC last entered Indonesia on 27th August 2019 via Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Jakarta after taking a flight from Nigeria and via layovers in Ethiopia and Thailand.
OAC was secured by the Intelligence and Immigration Enforcement Division of the Class I Special TPI Ngurah Rai Immigration Office during an immigration operation in the Padangsambian Klod area, West Denpasar, in June 2024.
During the investigation, OAC was unable to show and submit his passport or immigration documents to the officers.
He told investigators that his passport and other immigration documents had been lost since December 2020 during a trip from Jakarta to Bali.
OAC completed a month in prison in Bali since he was unable to pay an IDR 20,00,000 fine for his offenses before he was deported from the province; he, like MA, has been added to the list of deterrents, also known as the blacklist.
The Head of the Bali Office For Law and Human Rights, Pramella Yunidar Pasaribu, told reporters this week, “We remain committed to maintaining security and order in the Bali region, especially in terms of monitoring foreign nationals.”
“We will take firm action against any violations, whether related to residence permits or involvement in illegal activities, such as sex work, in accordance with applicable regulations.”
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