JEDDAH, November 27 — Police have arrested 3,153 foreigners in a crackdown on illegal residents in various cities over the past week, Al-Riyadh newspaper reported yesterday.
More than 2,600 of the men were arrested in Qunfudah, 1,200 km southwest of the capital Riyadh, while the others were rounded up in Makkah, Baha, Taif and other cities, the paper said.
Authorities regularly announce the arrests of mainly Arab and Asian Muslim nationals who arrive in the Kingdom to perform pilgrimage but choose to remain there in breach of visa regulations.
The passport authorities in the Asir region reported a couple of days ago that they had arrested 6,118 violators of residence regulations last month. Over 370 of them were arrested while begging, said Col. Saad Ahmad Ziyad, director of the department in the region.
The official also appealed to both the citizens and residents to cooperate in efforts to curb the practice of overstaying.
Illegal immigrants are deported while landlords renting accommodation to them and their employers face prison terms and fines.
There are around seven million foreign workers in the Kingdom. The government has launched a campaign to reduce the number by hiking fees on recruitment and offering incentives for nationals to work in their place in the private sector.
