192 illegal residents face deportation in Kuwait

Cairo: Kuwaiti police had arrested 192 illegal residents, accused of violating the country’s residency and labour rules as part of a clampdown on illegal migrant workers in the country, a local newspaper has reported.

Seventy-four of the violators had been rounded up in the governorate of Al Ahmadi, Al Rai newspaper said, citing security sources.

The arrests violated the residency law and some of them were wanted in connection to escape cases, they added.

The 118 other illegals, mostly runaway domestic labourers, were arrested in police raids in the governorate of Mubarak Al Kabeer.

“The crackdown on violators of the residency law has started and will continue round the clock in all governorates of the country to expose irregular workers and illegal residents,” said a source.

The arrested illegals will be transferred to prison in preparation for their deportation to their home countries as part of legal measures including payment of their ticket costs, the source added.

Kuwait has repeatedly extended the grace period for illegal residents in the past months to allow time for them to legalise their status.

The Gulf country of around 4.6 million people mostly expat workers, has in recent months sought to redress its demographic imbalance amid fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.