Riyadh: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has deported more than 9,000 expatriates for residency, labour, and border law violations, from Thursday, December 12, to Wednesday, December 18.
During this period, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) conducted inspection campaigns in the Kingdom to ensure compliance with regulations.
The Kingdom recorded 20,159 violations, including:
- 11,302 individuals for violating the residency law
- 5,652 for violating the border security law
- 3,205 for violating the labour law
A total of 1,861 people were arrested while trying to cross the border into the Kingdom, of whom 65 percent were Ethiopians nationals, 33 percent were Yemeni, and 2 percent belonged to other nationalities while 112 people were arrested for trying to flee the Kingdom crossing borders.
The security forces also arrested 17 people who were involved in transporting violators and giving them shelter.
Currently, legal proceedings are being carried out against 29,540 offenders, comprising 26,411 men and 2,619 women.
Around 20,337 were detained for violating laws and instructed to contact their countries’ embassies or consulates to obtain proper travel documentation; 3,425 were told to make booking arrangements for their departure, and 9,461 were deported.
The ministry of interior has warned that a maximum prison sentence of 15 years will be imposed on anyone caught facilitating someone entering the kingdom, in violation of border security regulations, or shelter.
The punishment includes a fine of up to one million Saudi Riyal, and the confiscation of one’s means of transport, the residence used for shelter, in addition to the publication of their names in the local media.
