Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Nation-Free of Violators campaign, launched mid in November 2017, has so far apprehended ao 4,290,776 expatriate violators of whom a total of 1,079,818 were deported to their respective homes.

The campaign said 3,354,980 arrested expatriates were in violation of the residency system, 658,845 violated the work laws and 276,951 the border security system, a Saudi Press Agency (SPA) report said.

As many as 19 ministries and government departments, including the Ministry of Labor and Social Development and the General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat) are participating in the campaign.

It said 77,207 were apprehended while attempting to infiltrate into the Kingdom through its southern borders. As many as 54 percent of them were Ethiopians, 43 percent Yemenis and three percent people of various other nationalities.

The campaign said some 2,961 violators were caught while trying to sneak illegally out of the Kingdom.

According to the campaign, 4,690 people were accused of providing accommodation and transport to illegal expatriates. They included 1,715 Saudis of whom 44 are still being probed.

A total of 14,523 expatriates — 12,755 men and 1,768 women — were being held in the detention centers.

The campaign said 542,311 violators were referred to their concerned embassies and consulates to issue them with travel documents while 721,235 were still completing their travel procedures.