RIYADH — A total of 18,901 illegal residents have been arrested in inspection raids carried out in all regions of the Kingdom during the first week of February. The arrested 18,901 illegal residents, included 11,419 violators of the Residency Law, 4,533 violators of the Border Security Law, and 2,949 violators of the Labor Law, the Saudi Press Agency reported quoting a statement of the Ministry of Interior. The arrests were made during the joint field security campaigns carried out by security forces and the concerned government agencies during the period from Feb. 1 to Feb. 7. The total number of people who were arrested while trying to cross the border into Saudi Arabia stood at 1051 people, of whom 41 percent were Yemeni nationals, 57 percent Ethiopian nationals, and two percent belonged to other nationalities. Ten people were arrested for their involvement in transporting, harboring, and employing violators of residency, work, and border security regulations and giving shelter to illegal residents. The total number of people who are currently under various phases of legal procedures for violations reached 57,253 expatriates, including 51,881 men and 5,372 women. A total of 50,258 violators were referred to their diplomatic missions to obtain travel documents while2297 violators were referred to complete their travel reservations, in addition to deportation of 10,443 violators. The Ministry of Interior emphasized that anyone who facilitates the entry of violators of the Border Security Law into Saudi Arabia, as well as providing them transportation, shelter, or any assistance or service in any way, will be slapped with penalties of up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to SR1 million, and confiscation of the means of transportation and housing used for accommodation, in addition to publicizing their names in the local media at their own expense. The Ministry of Interior 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.
