Thousands of Illegal Expats Arrested
CAUGHT IN THE DRAGNET: The arrested expats face deportation for breaking labor and immigration laws. (AN photo)
Security authorities have arrested 4,165 illegals during the past week in Madinah, Tabuk and Jeddah in different operations to curb illegal immigration in the country.
Madinah police chief Maj. Gen. Abdul Hadi Al-Shahrani said the police were able to arrest 2,853 expatriates who have infringed on the local labor and immigration regulations. He said that the total number of illegals arrested in Madinah stands now at 50,254 from the time the campaign was launched in the region.
The police chief also said that the raids were carried out with the cooperation of all the other relevant government agencies, who were involved in maintaining the local regulations.
Al-Shahrani pointed out that those arrested have been kept in government custody in prisons and they will be deported after a formal inquiry to ascertain the degree of their respective offenses. He asserted that the campaign will continue to flush out all the illegals from the region.
Meanwhile, Jeddah police, in cooperation with the regional labor office, arrested some 1,066 illegal workers in the southern part of the region.
According to Maj. Gen. Masoud Al-Hudeini, the inspections were carried out in several districts to apprehend the suspects.
The Shumaisi police in Makkah also arrested some 96 violators who were from Arab, African and Asian nationalities.
Lt. Col. Khaled Al-Ghaban of the Tabuk police stated in a press release that his officers have arrested 291 expatriates for breaking a series of labor and immigration laws. “They were arrested in the market place, malls, streets and at police checkpoints,” he said.