The Saudi Ministry of Interior conducted a series of inspection campaigns to confirm adherence to the standards of residency, work, and border security.
17,030 violations on the whole were identified, which ranged from housing violations, border security violations to labor standards violations.
Illegal entry attempts from the Kingdom did take place, with nationals from Yemen, Ethiopians, and other nationals. Authorities arrested individuals attempting to leave the Kingdom illegally.
Riyadh, May 26, 2024. The Ministry of Interior carried out campaigns to inspect all the standards of residency, work, and border security in the Kingdom between May 16 and 22, 2024.These inspection operations yielded the following findings: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia found a total of 17,030 violations. There were 10,662 housing violations, 4,147 border security violations, and 2,221 labor standards violations. There were approximately 1,119 people who attempted to enter the Kingdom illegally over the border, with 27% of them being Yemenis, 71% being Ethiopians, and 2% being people of other nationalities.
Additionally, authorities arrested 65 individuals who attempted to leave the Kingdom illegally. There have been seventeen arrests for transporting, housing, or hiring people who have violated the law. In order to ensure compliance with legislation, a total of 41,142 expatriates, consisting of 39,659 males and 1,483 females, are currently undergoing procedures. We instructed 33,255 individuals detained for violating the legislation to visit the embassies or consulates of their respective countries to obtain the necessary travel documents. In addition, we instructed 1,945 individuals to finalize their departure plans, and we returned 13,646 individuals.
Anyone who facilitates the illegal entry of individuals into the Kingdom, transports them within its territory, or provides them with shelter or any other assistance or service may face up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to SAR 1 million, as well as the impounding of vehicles or houses used for transportation or shelter. This has been warned by the Ministry of Interior. The administration claimed that such operations are of huge crimes that require enforcers to arrest. Moreover, it is also calling on people to report such violations by calling 911 in Makkah, Riyadh, and the Eastern regions, and either 999 or 996 in the rest of the Kingdom.
