Over 7,500 expatriates arrested in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia's law enforcement agencies have arrested more than 7,500 expatriates in a week for violating housing, labor, and border security laws, Gulf News reported on Sunday, citing a statement from the Saudi Interior Ministry.

It said that 7,760 expatriates were arrested in raids conducted in various parts of Saudi Arabia from May 28 to June 3. They were arrested as part of a nationwide security operation. Of them, 4,690 have already been repatriated to their respective countries.

The country's interior ministry said that 4,060 people were arrested for violating the housing law, 2,574 for violating the border security law, and 1,126 for violating the labor law. The arrests were made in a joint operation by various security forces and government agencies.

The statement also said that 1,184 people were arrested while trying to illegally cross the border into Saudi Arabia. It said that 70 percent of those arrested were Ethiopians, 28 Yemenis, and the remaining 2 percent were citizens of other countries.

At the same time, authorities arrested 25 more expatriates for attempting to leave Saudi Arabia illegally. In addition, 16 people living in Saudi Arabia were arrested for transporting and harboring violators of housing and work regulations.

The ministry said 4,690 illegal immigrants were sent back to their home countries that week. 14,495 violators were sent to their respective diplomatic missions to collect travel documents. Another 850 were sent to relevant offices to complete final travel arrangements before deportation.

According to the report, a total of 21,774 expatriates, including 20,455 men and 1,319 women, are currently under legal proceedings for violating housing, labor, and border security laws.

The Saudi Interior Ministry has repeatedly warned that anyone who attempts to facilitate illegal entry into the Middle Eastern country could face up to 15 years in prison and a fine of 1 million Saudi riyals.

Saudi Arabia, a desert country, is currently home to about 34.8 million people. Millions of migrant workers from different countries around the world work in Saudi Arabia. Local media in Saudi Arabia regularly report on the ongoing crackdown on lawbreakers and the detention of illegal immigrants in the country.