This 21-Year-Old US Singer Was Arrested By Immigration Officers During Her KL Show

In an Instagram post yesterday, 4 July, Maggie revealed that she was detained and held in a "living hell" for five days. 

"I was detained and arrested mid-way through my set and spent the next five days confined in a living hell," the pop star wrote in the post. 

"She violated the Immigration Act as she did not have a work visa," Kuala Lumpur Immigration Department director Hamidi Adam told The Malaysian Insight today, 5 July. 

"(She) did not have a permit from the Central Agencies for Applications for Filming and Performances for Foreign Artistes to perform here," he added.

Hamidi also confirmed that Maggie's show was stopped by authorities mid-way.

According to The Star, Hamidi stressed that the pop star was detained for a night instead of five.

"She was detained at Jalan Duta (Immigration KL office) for documentation purposes, and was released with bail the next day," Hamidi was quoted as saying by The Star. 

On top of that, the show's organiser has since pleaded guilty in court and was fined RM30,000.

The shows were initially cancelled due to "unforeseen circumstances", according to The Malaysian Insight. 

At the time of writing, the 21-year-old has not disclosed the reasons behind her detention.

PLIK application guidelines state that it is a "sponsor" or, in this case, the event organiser's responsibility to apply for the pass prior to the applicant's arrival into the country.

The application, which is to be submitted to the Immigration Department, would then be forwarded to PUSPAL for coordination and approval before it can be issued by the Immigration Department.