Seventeen migrants were found to be living irregularly during police inspections on Saturday morning in the North of Malta.
Inspections were made in the areas of St Paul’s Bay, Buġibba and Qawra.
The police carried out the inspections with the assistance of officers from the Detention Service.
The people are from Ghana, Nigeria, Gambia, Senegal, Mali, Libya and the Ivory Coast.
They were taken to the detention centre where steps will be taken to have them deported.
This was the latest push by the authorities to crack down on people living and working in Malta without permission.
The police said further inspections will be carried out in the coming days and weeks.