Undocumented worker rescued from Kaohsiung freezer during immigration raid

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An undocumented migrant worker who hid inside a freezer to evade detention was rescued at a Kaohsiung food-processing facility.

The National Immigration Agency has recently conducted expanded sweeps in Kaohsiung's Qianzhen, Renwu, Fengshan, and Gangshan Districts. Kaohsiung City Brigade received a tip that foreign nationals frequently entered a frozen-food plant in Qianzhen District, prompting them to set up surveillance.

Three undocumented Indonesian migrant workers were detained first. During identity checks they admitted that another undocumented worker, a male compatriot surnamed Lu (陸), was hiding inside the cold storage room.

Later the same day, the brigade apprehended 17 undocumented foreign nationals. Those working illegally will be referred to local labor authorities for penalties.

The brigade's head, Chao Chih-cheng (趙志成), said that employers of undocumented migrant workers face fines of up to NT$750,000 (US$23,900) for breaching the Employment Service Act.