The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) is drawing up recommendations to address the problem of the thousands of illegal immigrants who take refuge under Jeddah's highway overpasses. Supervisor General of the NSHR for the province of Makkah Hussein Al-Sharif said a team had visited numerous sites and produced a report on how to tackle the issue, which, he said, was due to the many persons remaining in the Kingdom beyond the permitted period of their visas, with the problem particularly acute in Jeddah. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also, according to other sources, working with local authorities to coordinate with consulates and arrange the deportation of persons found to be living in the Kingdom illegally. The NSHR study showed that most of the illegal residents were Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Indians and Indonesians who congregated in groups under the Sitteen Bridge in south Jeddah. The situation was found to be exacerbated at certain periods of the year, notably prior to the Umrah and Haj seasons. The immigrants were also said to be fully aware of the fact that the government provides for the costs of deportation during these periods, and many intentionally seek deportation, as evidenced by their competing for places on vans and buses sent to the sites by the Passports Department. The presence of so many illegal residents also poses a security threat, according to Mohammed Al-Hussein of Makkah's Passports department. “They create security and health risks, as some criminals on the run have been found to hide among the immigrants,” Al-Hussein said. “We are aware of their activities though, and eye identification techniques are helping to prevent them leaving the country if they have any crimes against their name, and also prevent them returning on different passports.” Al-Hussein added that the waste produced by the immigrants constitutes an “environmental threat”.
