RIYADH, 16 December 2002 — The police arrested about 20,400 foreign nationals during Ramadan for staying illegally in the Kingdom, a security official was quoted as saying yesterday.
Col. Fahd Al-Wathainani, head of the Expatriates Department in Jeddah, told Al-Eqtisadiah business daily the arrests were part of a crackdown on illegal residents in the holy city of Makkah.
The arrests were carried out between early November and early December. All those arrested were Asians and Africans who had entered Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah and failed to leave.
More than 19,700 of those arrested were deported to their home countries.
The government has launched a campaign to reduce the numbers of foreigners working in Saudi Arabia who are estimated at seven million. According to Interior Ministry officials, Saudi Arabia deports more than 700,000 illegal immigrants every year. Illegal foreigners are deported while landlords renting them accommodation face prison terms and fines.
