Over 180,000 residence, labor violators arrested across Saudi Arabia

RIYADH: The joint field security campaign has captured 181,060 violators of residence, labor and border security regulations, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said.
The campaign kicked off across the Kingdom in mid-November and has resulted in the capture of 101,586 violators of iqama (residence) regulations, 52,835 violators of labor regulations and 26,639 violators of border security regulations. The number of those caught while trying to cross the Kingdom’s borders reached 2,073 persons; 78 percent of them were Yemenis, 21 percent Ethiopians and 1 percent from other nations.
All those caught were sent back. Meanwhile, 42 persons were captured for attempting to leave the Kingdom illegally through its borders. On the other hand, 430 persons were arrested for harboring and transporting violators of residence, labor and border security regulations.
Some 15,154 foreigners — 13,395 men and 1,759 women — are currently subject to regulatory procedures in expatriate detention centers. Immediate penalties were imposed on 21,711 violating expatriates, 22,608 violators were referred to their respective diplomatic missions to obtain travel documents, and 34,697 were deported.
In a related development, security patrols have captured four men and a woman in Al-Quwayiyah, 165km from Riyadh, for violating labor and residence regulations, Al-Madinah daily said. Those captured, who are from African countries, used to employ the woman in Saudi Arabia as a house worker for a monthly salary.