Immigration department in a joint operation with Police took 50 undocumented expatriates into custody from the capital Male on Tuesday.
The mass arrests have brought four different cafes in the carnival area to a complete standstill.
The police spokesperson said the police had aided the Immigration on Tuesday to round up the expats.
Out of the 50 taken into custody, any expat able to present proper documentation would be released immediately, spokesperson added.
Immigration department was unavailable for comment, but it has conducted such operations in the past.
