According to authorities in Saudi Arabia, there have been a total of 14,154 arrests of those who violate residency, labor and border security laws in the joint inspections that have been carried out throughout the entire country for one week. This was during a Saudi Arabia arrests law violators campaign held from July 23 to July 29.

Saudi Arabia arrests law violators: Breakdown of the Violations

Among these individuals, 7,103 people had violated the residency rules, while 3,654 others were arrested on charges of violating the border security rules. In addition to that, 3,397 others were arrested for violating the labor laws, which comprised all the three main reasons that are behind this new Saudi Arabia arrests of law violators crackdown.

Furthermore, the authorities have arrested 1,418 people attempting to enter the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia using an unlawful method. As per the statistics provided by the Ministry, 54% of those individuals were Yemenis, 45% Ethiopians, while the remaining 1% were of other nationalities. In another case, 23 individuals were arrested when they attempted to leave the country in an unlawful way, while 17 individuals were arrested for smuggling and concealing violators.

As per the statement released by the ministry, 30,679 violators, including 28,187 males and 2,492 females, are undergoing legal action as the magnitude of this crackdown is processed by the authorities. From this number, 17,903 violators have been sent to their diplomatic missions to get their travel documents, while 5,424 people have started making travel arrangements. Additionally, 12,613 violators have been deported out of the Kingdom.

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A clear warning was issued by the Ministry of Interior against those who help violators of border security. Any person found helping in facilitating the violation of the border security by providing transportation, giving any kind of assistance, or services, and anyone found providing lodging will be imprisoned for up to 15 years, fined SR1 million, and their vehicle or property used in this violation will be confiscated.

This was categorized as a serious crime, hence calling for the perpetrator’s arrest, as it is a crime against the sense of honor and integrity in Saudi society. The public was advised to alert authorities on such violations through special phone lines, which were allocated to each region of the country: 911 for Makkah, Madinah, Riyadh, and Eastern Region, while 999 and 996 for other regions.

In this latest wave of Saudi Arabia arrests, offenders who violate Saudi laws are being apprehended. In Saudi Arabia's current efforts to enforce residency laws, it shows that such enforcement of laws is a constant process being carried out by the Saudi government. With tens of thousands of cases undergoing due process of the law and thousands of deportees, one can see how important this enforcement campaign is to Saudi Arabia.