According to the Saudi Interior Ministry, 22,072 lawbreakers were arrested in joint operations in various regions of Saudi Arabia in one week from July 31 to August 6. Among those arrested, 13,833 were for violating residence laws, 4,624 for violating border security regulations, and 3,615 for violating labor laws.
1,640 people were arrested for illegally entering Saudi Arabia during the operation. 35% of them were Yemenis, 64% were Ethiopians, and 1% were citizens of other countries. In addition, 48 people were arrested for illegally leaving Saudi Arabia. 37 people were arrested for transporting, harboring, recruiting, or hiding violators in this operation. Currently, 23,630 lawbreakers - 20,601 of whom are men and 3,029 are women - are under legal proceedings.
Of these, 16,162 individuals have applied to their diplomatic missions to obtain travel documents, 3,136 are awaiting travel bookings, and 11,058 have already been deported. The ministry reiterated that anyone who assists, transports, shelters, or provides any assistance to border violators in their illegal entry may be subject to imprisonment for up to 15 years, a fine of up to 1 million riyals, and confiscation of the transport and residence used in the crime. The names of the perpetrators may be made public.
This offense will be considered a major offense for detention. The ministry urged lawbreakers to provide information by calling 911 in Makkah, Madinah, Riyadh, and the Eastern Province, or 999 and 996 in other regions.
