Saudi Arabian authorities have arrested in just one week 15,568 people who violated residency and work visas in the Kingdom.
This includes 9,331 who violated their residency permit, 4,226 who violated border security laws, and 2,011 who violated their work permits, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday.
A total of 260 people were arrested while attempting to enter the country illegally, out of which 27 percent were Yemenis, 65 percent Ethiopians, and 8 percent were of other nationalities, SPA added. Twenty others were arrested for attempting to smuggle, transport, harbour and employ people who did not hold viable residency or work permits.
Currently, 46,064 individuals have pending legal procedures against them for violating visa laws, out of which 43,005 are men and 3,059 are women. Saudi authorities referred 36,540 violators to their embassies to obtain travel documents, 2,081 violators were referred to their embassies to complete their travel reservations, and 9,293 violators were deported.
The Ministry of Interior confirmed that anyone who facilitates the entry of individuals into the Kingdom illegally, harbours them, employs them, provides them with shelter will face a prison sentence of up to 15 years and a fine of $266,111, according to SPA.
