RIYADH — A total of 21,477 illegal residents have been arrested from various regions of Saudi Arabia during the last week. The arrests were made during the joint field security campaigns, carried out by the Saudi security forces in collaboration with the relevant government agencies, during the period between Jan. 30 and Feb. 5, the Ministry of Interior announced on Saturday. Those who were arrested included 13,638 violators of the Residency Law, 4,663 violators of the Border Security Law, and 3,176 violators of the Labor Law. A total of 28,661 violators were referred to their diplomatic missions to obtain travel documents while 2919 violators were referred to complete their travel reservations whereas 8733 violators were deported. The total number of people who were arrested while trying to cross the border into the Kingdom accounted for 1,316, of whom 40 percent were Yemeni nationals, 58 percent Ethiopian nationals, and two percent belonged to other nationalities. A total of 77 people were arrested while attempting to leave the Kingdom illegally. Thirteen people, who were involved in transporting, sheltering, and employing violators, were also arrested. A total of 37,120 illegal residents, including 33,547 men and 3,573 women, are currently undergoing various phases of legal procedures as part of punitive measures against them. The Ministry of Interior has warned that any person, who facilitates the illegal entry of individuals into the Kingdom, transports them on its territory, provides them with shelter or any other assistance or service may be penalized with up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to SR1 million, and that the vehicles used for transportation or houses used for giving shelter will be confiscated. The ministry urged the public 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.
