No one knew that a dilapidated building in a rundown neighborhood in south Jeddah's Madain Al-Fahd district housed a school until the Passports Administration raided the place. The raid, which was conducted after a tip-off, resulted in the arrest of 33 people, including teachers and students. The arrested people have been handed over to the Foreign Affairs Department. The unlicensed school was providing services to the children of illegal residents, Colonel Muhammad Abdullah, Jeddah Passports Administration spokesman, was quoted as saying in the Arabic press Thursday. Some Arab nationals residing illegally in the Kingdom were clandestinely operating the so-called school in violation of the Kingdom's regulations, he said. The school did not have a name and lacked basic safety measures, with children crammed into small classrooms. Jeddah police spokesman First Lt. Nawwaf Al-Bouq was recently quoted in the Arabic media as saying that the Passports Department regularly receives tip-offs about illegal residents and their hideouts. Raids are conducted after verifying the authenticity of the information. Earlier, Director of Jeddah Police Maj. Gen. Ali Al-Saadi warned residents against sheltering illegals. Most of these illegal residents are involved in crimes and unlawful activities. Last September, the Kingdom announced a six-month amnesty for residency law violators. The amnesty covers all foreigners who arrived in the Kingdom on Haj, Umrah or visit visas and stayed on after the expiry of their visas. The amnesty ends on March 23.
