Over 22,000 expatriates arrested in Saudi Arabia

More than 22,000 expatriates have been arrested in Saudi Arabia on charges of violating residency, labour, and border security laws, according to the country’s law enforcement agencies. The information was reported on Sunday, October 26, quoting a statement from the Saudi Ministry of Interior by Gulf News.

According to the ministry, a total of 22,613 expatriates were detained during nationwide raids conducted between October 16 and 22. The action was said to be part of a large-scale security campaign.

Among those arrested, 13,652 were detained for breaching residency laws, 4,394 for violating border security laws, and 4,567 for labour law infringements. Various Saudi security forces and government agencies jointly participated in the operations.

Currently, legal proceedings are underway against 31,374 expatriates, including 29,814 men and 1,560 women. Of them, 23,021 have been referred to their respective diplomatic missions to obtain necessary travel documents before deportation.