North Sumatra immigration strengthens oversight through 171 partner villages in South Labuhanbatu

North Sumatra's immigration authorities are using village-level networks to improve early detection of problems involving foreign nationals in South Labuhanbatu Regency.

The regional immigration office conducted monitoring and evaluation activities in Asam Jawa and Aek Batu villages, in Torgamba district. Officials said the visits were intended to track the Immigration Partner Village program and assess immigration conditions in the community.

The program also seeks to raise public understanding of the importance of monitoring foreign nationals. Authorities said better awareness could help residents identify potential immigration problems in their surroundings and report them through coordination involving village governments, communities and village immigration officers.

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The activity was carried out to monitor the development of the Immigration Partner Village program and to understand immigration conditions in the community.

Officials used the activities to provide legal guidance and explain mobile passport services to village governments. Parlindungan, head of the North Sumatra regional immigration office, said the service could make passport access easier by allowing villages to coordinate with immigration authorities under existing procedures and regulations.

A total of 171 Immigration Partner Villages have been established across the regional office's area of responsibility. The program is supported by 53 village immigration officers assigned to 11 immigration units in North Sumatra. It forms part of Immigration and Corrections Minister Agus Andrianto's 15 action programs, including efforts to prevent human trafficking and migrant smuggling through immigration-law education.

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The service is expected to make passport services more accessible to the public through arrangements that can be coordinated with Immigration in accordance with applicable mechanisms and regulations.