Dubai: Saudi Arabia arrested 14,955 in a week for violating residency, work and border security laws during operations carried out from February 22.
Of them, 9,080 individuals were held for residency regulation violations, 3,088 for breaching border security and 2,787 for infringing labour laws.
Additionally, 849 individuals were intercepted attempting illegal entry into the country, predominantly from Yemen and Ethiopia, while 99 were detained for unlawful exit attempts.
Six individuals involved in facilitating violators through transportation, shelter and employment were also apprehended during the campaign.
Also read
- Saudi Arabia: Over 19,000 detained in a week for violating residency, labour, border security laws
- Saudi Arabia: Capturing and sharing crime scenes online deemed cybercrime
- Saudi court fines 3 female expats for sheltering infiltrator
- In Saudi Arabia, sponsor withholding expat's passport will face up to 15 years in jail
Legal proceedings are underway for 57,787 violators with efforts being made to repatriate them.
So far, 51,401 individuals have been referred to their respective diplomatic missions for travel documents, 1,763 are in the process of finalizing travel arrangements and 10,256 have been deported.
The Ministry of Interior has warned those helping violators, outlining penalties of up to 15 years in prison, fines of one million riyals, confiscation of used transport and housing, and public defamation for offenders.
The ministry urged the public to report any instances of violations through designated hotlines across different regions of the Kingdom, emphasizing the importance of collective efforts in maintaining national security and integrity.
