Saudi Arabia deports over 11,000 illegal residents in nationwide crackdown

Dubai: Saudi authorities detained 19,790 illegal residents over the past week in one of the kingdom’s largest coordinated enforcement drives this year, the Ministry of Interior announced on Saturday.

The arrests were made between November 27 and December 3 following joint inspections carried out by security forces in collaboration with several government agencies, Okaz newspaper reported.

According to the ministry, the sweep identified 12,252 violations of residency laws, 4,384 violations of border security regulations and 3,154 breaches of labour laws.

A total of 21,805 detainees were referred to their diplomatic missions to obtain travel documents, while 5,370 individuals were processed to complete travel bookings. Another 11,148 violators were deported during the same period.

Border‐related arrests remained a significant focus of the campaign. Security forces detained 1,661 people attempting to enter Saudi Arabia illegally, 45 per cent of them Yemeni nationals, 54 per cent Ethiopian nationals and the remainder from other nationalities. Another 49 people were arrested while attempting to leave the country unlawfully.

Fifteen individuals accused of transporting, sheltering or employing violators were also detained. Authorities noted that 31,292 expatriates, including 29,410 men and 1,882 women, are currently undergoing procedures to complete legal action against them.

The Ministry of Interior reiterated that facilitating illegal entry, providing transportation or shelter to violators is a serious offence punishable by up to 15 years in prison, fines of up to SR1 million and the confiscation of vehicles or properties used in the crimes.