Dubai: Saudi Arabia deported more than 11,000 illegal residents last week after nationwide security operations led to the arrest of more than 15,000 people for violating residency, labor and border security laws, the Interior Ministry said on Saturday.
The ministry said joint inspection campaigns conducted between June 18 and 24 resulted in the arrest of 15,231 offenders, including 7,589 for violating residency regulations, 4,443 for violating border security laws and 3,199 for work-related violations, Okaz newspaper reported.
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During the same period, 11,297 people were deported, while 15,109 were referred to their diplomatic missions to obtain travel documents and a further 3,618 were referred for full travel arrangements prior to their departure.
Authorities also arrested 1,763 people trying to enter the Kingdom illegally, including 55 percent Ethiopian nationals, 44 percent Yemeni nationals and 1 percent other nationalities.
Another 53 people were detained for trying to leave the country illegally, while 22 people were arrested for transporting, harboring or employing immigration violators.
The ministry said 16,369 immigrants remain subject to legal proceedings, warning that anyone who facilitates the illegal entry, transportation, employment or harboring of immigration offenders faces sentences of up to 15 years in prison, fines of up to SR 1 million and confiscation of vehicles or property used to commit the offences.
The Home Office also asked the public to report violations through designated emergency lines across the Kingdom.
