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The Saudi Ministry of Interior announced the deportation of 12,613 expatriates after nationwide joint inspection campaigns from July 23 to July 29 resulted in the arrest of 14,154 individuals for violations of residency, labour and border security regulations. Of those detained, 7,103 faced charges for breaching residency rules, 3,654 were held over border security offences and 3,397 were linked to labour law violations, the ministry said. Authorities also arrested 1,418 people attempting illegal entry into the kingdom during the period while 23 were detained for trying to exit unlawfully.
The ministry reported that 30,679 violators remain subject to legal procedures, including 17,903 referred to diplomatic missions to obtain travel documents and 5,424 completing travel arrangements before departure. A further 17 individuals were arrested for transporting, sheltering or employing those in violation of the rules, according to the ministry. These actions form part of recurring weekly enforcement efforts detailed in regular interior ministry statements.
In the preceding week from June 25 to July 1, the ministry reported 12,292 deportations after 15,591 arrests for similar offences, Gulf News said citing the interior ministry. Operations between June 18 and June 24 had produced 11,297 deportations following 15,231 arrests, according to separate ministry figures published by the newspaper. The ministry has issued comparable weekly updates throughout the summer months.
Anyone facilitating illegal entry, transportation, shelter or employment of violators faces penalties of up to 15 years in prison, fines of up to one million Saudi riyals, confiscation of vehicles or property used in the offences and possible public naming, the ministry warned. The statement applies the sanctions to both citizens and expatriates involved in such assistance. Reports of suspected violations can be lodged confidentially by calling 911 in major regions or 999 elsewhere in the kingdom.
The ministry has stressed in its releases that the campaigns target disruptions to labour market order and border controls. Successive interior ministry statements have highlighted the role of these inspections in addressing unauthorised residency and employment. The latest figures add to data from prior operations that have maintained similar scales of enforcement across recent months.
