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The Ministry of Interior detailed that the arrests, carried out between September 10 and 16, included 7,438 residency law violators, 3,782 border security offenders and 3,562 labour regulation breaches. Joint teams from security forces and other government bodies conducted the inspections across the kingdom, the ministry said in the statement published on September 19. A total of 31,075 expatriates, comprising 29,171 men and 1,904 women, are now undergoing legal procedures as a result of these and prior operations.
During the campaign, 12,635 individuals were deported while 18,986 were sent to diplomatic missions for travel documents and 3,834 were instructed to arrange their departures, ministry figures show. The process highlights the scale of enforcement aimed at regulating the large expatriate population in the country. Authorities have conducted such weekly campaigns consistently throughout 2026, with similar arrest totals reported in successive updates.
Security personnel arrested 1,450 people attempting illegal entry into the kingdom, of whom 56 per cent were Ethiopian, 43 per cent Yemeni and 1 per cent from other nationalities, according to the ministry. An additional 25 were caught trying to depart unlawfully and 23 faced detention for assisting violators through transport, shelter or employment. The ministry has stressed that penalties for facilitation include imprisonment for up to 15 years, fines as high as 1 million riyals and asset confiscation.
Gulf News has tracked these periodic enforcement actions, noting comparable results in the preceding week when nearly 14,800 arrests and over 12,000 deportations occurred. The ongoing initiative forms part of efforts to enforce labour market discipline and border controls. Data from multiple ministry releases indicate thousands are processed each month through deportation and legal channels.
The crackdown aligns with long-term policies to manage foreign workforce numbers, which constitute a significant portion of Saudi employment in various sectors. Previous ministry statements have highlighted the need for strict adherence to sponsorship and residency rules to support national employment objectives. Officials continue to issue warnings to both violators and those who enable their presence in the kingdom.
