Riyadh – Saudi authorities have arrested as many as 2,055,299 foreigners living in the country in violation of the Kingdom’s residency and labour regulations in a nationwide crackdown that began a year ago.
The campaign, titled the Nation Free of Illegal Expats, was launched in November last year with the participation of 19 government and private sector agencies, including the Ministry of Labour and Social Development and the Passport Department.
Campaign officials said 527,351 of the detained expatriates were deported to their respective home countries.
According to the officials, 1,588,646 were arrested for violating the system of residency, 318,243 for violating the labour laws and 148,410 for breaching the border security system.
They said 34,915 people were arrested while attempting to sneak into the Kingdom through its southern border. About 52 percent of the infiltrators were Yemenis, 45 percent Ethiopians and the rest various other nationalities.
As many as 1,636 foreign residents were apprehended while attempting to leave the Kingdom illegally.
Officials said 2,964 people, including 833 Saudis, were arrested for providing transport to illegal residents, 796 Saudis were investigated, punished and released while 37 others were still being questioned.
The campaign officials said 14,829 violators were currently being kept in various deportation centers. They consist of 12,730 men and 2,099 women.
The officials said 295,930 violators were referred to their embassies and consulates to issue them with travel documents while 359,593 were completing their travel formalities.