17,463 foreigners arrested in Saudi Arabia; rigorous inspection continues

RIYADH: Citing several violations of the rule, Saudi Arabia registered the arrest of 17,463 foreigners in the recent past. Home Ministry officials and police have arrested people including expatriates who have violated labour laws, residence laws, and border security from various areas.

The Home Ministry conducted the raid jointly with various security agencies. All these people were arrested between November 16th and 22nd. Among those arrested, 10,856 people were arrested for violation of residence law, 3934 people were arrested for violating the Border Security Act and 2673 people were arrested for violating the Labor Act. 774 people have been arrested for trying to cross the border illegally. 44 per cent of those arrested are Yemenis. 45 percent are Ethiopians and 11 percent are from other countries.

Currently, 50,699 law violators are facing trial in the country. Of these, 44,091 are male and 6,608 are female. Of these, 44,651 have contacted their countries' diplomatic officials for travel documents. A decision has been made regarding the journey of 1617 people. Officials also informed that 10,197 people have already been deported. The current slew of arrests is a stern warning for foreigners to conform to the country’s strictly adhered rules.

Saudi Arabia tightened their inspection into violation of rules from the start of November. In the early November inspection, 17,300 people were arrested. The inspection was conducted by various security forces. 10,000 people were arrested for violating residency laws, 3,900 people for violating border security regulations and 2,611 people for violating labour laws.