RIYADH — Security authorities arrested more than 3 million foreigners who were living in the country in violation of the residency and labor laws since a nationwide crackdown against illegals began in November 2017. Interior Ministry officials said as many as 3,030,767 violators were apprehended and 760,456 of them deported to their respective home countries. They said 2,361,511 people were arrested for violating the system of residency, 466,038 for violating labor laws and 203,218 for breaching border security. The ministry said 51,313 people were nabbed while attempting to sneak into the Kingdom across its southern borders. About 49 percent of the infiltrators were Yemenis and 48 percent Ethiopians. The remaining 3 percent included people of various nationalities. As many as 19 government departments including the Directorate General of Passports (Jawazat) and the Ministry of Labor and Social Development were taking part in the crackdown. The officials said 2,142 people were caught while attempting to sneak out of the Kingdom illegally. They said 3,723 people were caught providing transport and accommodation to illegal residents. They included 1,237 Saudi nationals, of whom 1,211 were investigated and punished while 26 others were still under investigation. According to the officials, as many as 12,556 expatriates are in various detention centers in the country. They include 10,504 men and 2,052 women. The officials said 410,123 violators were referred to their concerned embassies and consulates to issue them with travel documents while 514,400 were finalizing their exit procedures.
