Background
Immigration enforcement in Cambodia is administered through the Ministry of Interior system, with the General Department of Immigration responsible for foreign-national control, investigation procedures, border-gate operations, and removals under immigration law. The General Department of Immigration is the Cambodian agency responsible for immigration administration, border-gate controls, and deportation procedures involving foreign nationals. Deportation is an immigration-control measure used to remove foreign nationals who are found to have violated entry, stay, documentation, or other legal requirements.
International airports and land border checkpoints function as operational points for verifying identity, processing exits, and carrying out removal decisions. Online scam-related enforcement can intersect with immigration governance when foreign nationals are alleged to be unlawfully working, using forged documents, overstaying, crossing borders illegally, or participating in criminal activity.
The GDI announcement placed the removals within Cambodia’s broader government effort to address technology-enabled crime and return foreign nationals to their countries after immigration or criminal-law processing. The announcement also referred to the rescue and return of victims who were allegedly deceived into working in online scam activities.
Enforcement Actions
From April 20 to April 30, 2026, the General Department of Immigration said its Department of Investigation and Procedure continued deportation operations involving 2,671 foreign nationals from 29 nationalities. The total included 585 women.
The GDI said 306 Chinese nationals connected to online scam cases were deported through the Siem Reap Angkor International Airport border police post. The GDI also said 635 Thai nationals connected to online scam cases were deported through the Poipet International Border Checkpoint.
Other foreign nationals were deported through the Techo International Airport border police post for alleged violations including illegal border crossing, forged documents, staying without a passport, kidnapping for ransom, use of fake visa QR codes, online scams, illegal work, and other criminal offenses in Cambodia.
Institutional Role
The announcement stated that GDI Director General Sok Veasna instructed the Department of Investigation and Procedure to continue removal procedures under the direction of Ministry of Interior leadership. The General Department of Immigration described the operation as part of strict legal measures directed by the Cambodian government and the Ministry of Interior.
For long-term governance tracking, the announcement identifies the GDI as the implementing body, the Department of Investigation and Procedure as the operational unit, and designated airport and land-border police posts as the exit channels used for removals.
Operational Implications
The listed grounds show that Cambodia’s immigration enforcement actions may cover both administrative immigration issues and suspected criminal activity. Documentation status, visa validity, lawful entry, and authorization to work are operational control points in immigration enforcement involving foreign nationals.
The announcement is relevant for tracking how Cambodia links immigration procedures with enforcement against online scams and related cross-border offenses. It also provides a numerical reference point for deportations carried out over a defined 11-day period in April 2026.
