Saudi Arabia deports more than 1,200 law violators per day

Dubai: Saudi Arabia, long a magnet for millions of visitors each year, from Muslim pilgrims arriving for Hajj and Umrah to traders and business travellers from around the world, is stepping up efforts to curb illegal entry and residency, amid persistent violations of immigration and labour laws.

While the Kingdom remains open to lawful visitors, authorities say a minority attempt to exploit the system either by overstaying visas, working illegally, or entering the country through unauthorised border crossings. In response, security agencies are carrying out near-weekly field operations across the country to identify and detain violators.

According to official figures, more than 782,000 people were arrested last year during these campaigns, averaging more than 2,100 arrests per day. 

Many were apprehended while attempting to cross into the Kingdom illegally, with Yemeni nationals accounting for the majority of those detained, a trend attributed largely to Yemen’s proximity to Saudi borders. 

Ethiopian nationals and individuals of other nationalities were also among those arrested. Authorities also reported detaining numerous individuals attempting to leave the Kingdom through irregular routes.

The arrests were primarily linked to violations of residency and labour regulations, as well as breaches of border security laws. Over the course of last year alone, approximately 453,200 people were deported, an average of around 1,240 deportations each day.

The Saudi Ministry of Interior has issued repeated warnings that anyone found facilitating illegal entry, whether by transporting offenders, sheltering them, or providing assistance or services of any kind, faces severe penalties. 

These include prison sentences of up to 15 years, fines reaching one million Saudi riyals, confiscation of vehicles or properties used in the offence, and public disclosure of the conviction.

The enforcement campaign comes as Saudi Arabia continues to emphasise that legal pathways for travel, pilgrimage and tourism are widely available and clearly defined. The Kingdom already offers multiple regulated visa options, including tourist visas, visas on arrival for eligible nationalities, transit visas, and consular visas. 

Saudi authorities have stressed that the crackdown is not aimed at curbing tourism or pilgrimage, but at reinforcing a clear distinction that welcoming visitors who comply with the law, while taking action against those who violate residency, labour and border security regulations.