Interior Ministry: 20,667 Violators of Residency, Labor and Border Security Regulations Apprehended in a Week


Riyadh: The Ministry of Interior said that campaigns to detect individuals who violate residency, labor, and border security regulations, carried out in all regions of the Kingdom from April 4 to 10, 2024, yielded the following results:

Of the total number of 20,667 violators, 14,805 had violated the Residency Law, 3,860 the Border Security Law, and 2,002 the Labor Law.

Of the 959 people caught trying to cross the border into the Kingdom illegally, 44% were Yemenis, 53% Ethiopians, and 3% of other nationalities; 58 were arrested for trying to leave the country illegally.

Nine people involved in transporting, sheltering, employing and covering up for violators of the above laws were arrested.

Of the 63,087 expatriates who must comply with regulations, 58,708 were men and 4,379 women.

As part of the campaign, 54,732 violators were referred to their diplomatic missions to obtain travel documents, 2,828 had to complete their travel reservations, and 6,271 were deported.

The Ministry of Interior warned that
any person who facilitates the illegal entry of individuals into the Kingdom, transports them on its territory, provides them with shelter or with any other assistance or service may be penalized with up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to SAR1 million.

The ministry stressed that such acts are major crimes that warrant arrest.

It also urges people to report any violations by calling 911 in the Makkah, Riyadh, and Eastern regions, and 999 and 996 in the rest of the Kingdom.

Source: Saudi Press Agency