Riyadh: The inspection campaigns carried out by the Ministry of Interior throughout the Kingdom between May 16 and 22, 2024, to ensure compliance with residency, work, and border security regulations, yielded the following results:
Across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 17,030 violations were recorded: 10,662 of residency, 4,147 of border security, and 2,221 of labor laws.
Some 1,119 individuals attempted to cross the border into the Kingdom illegally, of whom 27% were Yemenis, 71% Ethiopians, and 2% of other nationalities; 65 people were arrested for attempting to illegally leave the Kingdom.
Seventeen people involved in transporting, sheltering, or employing violators were arrested.
A total of 41,142 expatriates (39,659 men and 1,483 women) are currently undergoing procedures for enforcing regulations. Among the people detained for violating laws, 33,255 were instructed to contact their countries’ embassies or consulates to obtain proper documentation for travel, 1,945 were told to complete booking arrange
ments for their departure, and 13,646 were repatriated.
The Ministry of Interior has warned that any person who facilitates the illegal entry of individuals into the Kingdom, transports them within its territory, or provides them shelter or any other assistance or service may be penalized with up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to SAR 1 million, and that the vehicles used for transport or houses used for shelter may be impounded. 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