RIYADH — Nearly 18,000 illegal residents have been arrested in a week during inspection raids carried out in all regions of the Kingdom. The arrested 17,896 illegal residents, included 10,874 violators of the Residency Law, 4,123 violators of the Border Security Law, and 2,899 violators of the Labor Law. The arrests were made during the joint field security campaigns carried out by security forces and the concerned government agencies during the period from Jan. 25 to Jan. 31, 2024. The total number of people who were arrested while trying to cross the border into Saudi Arabia reached 937 people, of whom 29 percent were Yemeni nationals, 69 percent Ethiopian nationals, and two percent belonged to other nationalities. During the period, another 48 people were arrested while attempting to cross the border to outside Saudi Arabia in an illegal way. Seven others were also arrested and the charges against them were transporting, harboring, and employing violators of residency, work, and border security regulations and giving shelter to illegal residents. The total number of people who are currently under various phases of legal procedures for violations reached 56,686 expatriates, including 51,445 men and 5,241 women. A total of 49,721 violators were referred to their diplomatic missions to obtain travel documents while 1,789 violators were referred to complete their travel reservations, in addition to deportation of 10,096 violators. The Ministry of Interior confirmed that anyone who facilitates the entry of violators of the Border Security Law into Saudi Arabia, as well as providing them transportation, shelter, or any assistance or service in any way, will be slapped with penalties of up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to SR1 million, and confiscation of the means of transportation and housing used for accommodation, in addition to publicizing their names in the local media at their own expense. The Ministry of Interior urged people to report any cases of violation by calling the number 911 in the regions of Makkah, Riyadh, and the Eastern Province and the numbers 999 and 996 in the rest of the Kingdom's regions.
