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More than 7,500 expatriates have been arrested in Saudi Arabia in one week on charges of violating residency, labor, and border security laws.
This news was reported by the UAE-based English daily Gulf News on Sunday (June 7), citing a statement from the Saudi Ministry of Interior.
It stated that 7,760 expatriates were arrested during raids across various parts of Saudi Arabia from May 28 to June 3. They were apprehended as part of extensive security operations nationwide. Among them, 4,690 individuals have already been repatriated to their respective countries.
The Ministry of Interior said that among those arrested, 4,060 were for violating residency laws, 2,574 for violating border security laws, and 1,126 for violating labor laws. Various security forces and government agencies in the country conducted joint operations to apprehend these expatriates.
Additionally, the statement reported that 1,184 individuals were arrested while attempting to illegally cross the border into Saudi Arabia. It stated that among the arrested, 70 percent were Ethiopians, 28 percent Yemenis, and the remaining 2 percent were citizens of other countries.
During the same period, authorities also arrested 25 expatriates for attempting to illegally leave Saudi Arabia. Additionally, 16 individuals residing in Saudi Arabia were arrested for transporting and harboring those who violated residency and labor regulations.
Previously, on May 17, 11,272 expatriates were expelled from the country. Furthermore, another 9,576 individuals were arrested.
The ministry stated that during that week, 4,690 illegal expatriates were sent back to their home countries. Additionally, 14,495 law violators were sent to their respective diplomatic missions to collect travel documents. Another 850 individuals were sent to relevant departments to finalize travel preparations before expulsion.
According to the report, a total of 21,774 expatriates, including 20,455 men and 1,319 women, are currently undergoing legal proceedings for violating residency, labor, and border security laws.
In this Middle Eastern country, individuals attempting to aid illegal entry face a penalty of 15 years imprisonment and a fine of 1 million Saudi Riyals. The Saudi Ministry of Interior has repeatedly issued warnings regarding this.
The desert nation of Saudi Arabia is currently home to approximately 34.8 million people. Millions of migrant workers from various countries are employed in Saudi Arabia. Local Saudi media regularly reports on continuous crackdowns against law violators and the detention of illegal expatriates in the country.
Source: Gulf News.