Over 11,400 illegal expats arrested in one week in Saudi Arabia

During the past week, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Interior (MoI) reported the arrest of 11,465 individuals for various violations, including residency, labour laws, and border security regulations. The arrests resulted from joint field campaigns conducted by security forces across the country from September 21 to 27.

Out of the total arrests, 7,199 individuals were apprehended for illegal residency and violations of the country's residency system. Another 2,882 violators were found to have breached border security rules, while 1,384 people were arrested for violating labour laws.

According to the MoI's detailed data, an additional 711 individuals were arrested while attempting to cross the Saudi border. Among them, 52% were Yemenis, 45% were Ethiopians, and 3% belonged to other nationalities. Additionally, security forces detained fourteen people who were attempting to exit Saudi Arabia through its borders.

Fifteen individuals involved in transporting and harbouring residency and work regulation violators, as well as those engaged in cover-up activities, were also arrested.

Currently, 43,772 illegal expatriates are undergoing procedures for their violations, with 36,404 being men and 7,368 being women. Among these, 38,379 violators have been referred to their respective diplomatic missions to obtain necessary travel documents, 1,704 individuals have been referred to complete their travel reservations, and 7,922 have been deported.

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