SECURITISATION VERSUS FACILITATION: THE PERSISTENCE OF IRREGULAR MIGRATION FROM THE ENFORCEMENT PERSPECTIVE IN MALAYSIA

The persistence of irregular migration is often a question of facilitation and securitisation. Malaysia’s experience of managing foreign workers reflects the inherent contradictions between securitising the national border and facilitating the entry of foreigners in line with the growth of the internationalisation of tourism and higher education sectors. This paper proposes that the facilitation of legal entry is the main cause of the continuous influx, prolonged stay, and problematic exit of irregular migrants. From the enforcement perspective, border security is undermined by the state’s economic interests, as unauthorised entry is mostly attributed to the abuse of legal entry facilities. This paper examines two case studies that illustrate how the facilitation of entry for economic development has prompted security concerns: (1) the open-border policy at Wang Kelian (Malaysia-Thailand border) and (2) the Visa on Arrival policy. In 2023, the Malaysian government eliminated the visa requirements to attract tourists from China and India, with both airlines and tourism agencies assigned the responsibility of monitoring potential overstayers. The Perlis state government and the federal government weighed the economic development benefits of reopening the Wang Kelian free-flow zone after its closure in 2015 due to human trafficking activities. While economic development is imperative, the state ensures national security by improving its entry and exit mechanisms.