DAMMAM, 8 October 2007 — Officials of the Passport Department in the Eastern Province arrested 457 illegal residents, including women, in a series of raids since Sept. 13.
One of the operations was at a mosque in the Dammam’s livestock market, which was a meeting point of illegal foreigners from African and Asian countries waiting to be hired for menial jobs.
Officials manning the mosque exits checked documents of foreign residents as people dispersed after the night prayers and arrested those without valid papers.
The police also arrested some people who tried to escape through the private door used by the imam. Several of them were overstayers (illegal migrants who come legally on pilgrim’s visas but remain illegally to live and work), or those who fled from their sponsors. Most of them were carrying fake iqamas, police said.
Secret agents and police informers participated in the operation, led by Capt. Turki Al-Jaloud.
Four Bangladeshis who were operating illegal phone booths for long-distance calls were arrested from the same market.
A Filipino was arrested in Alkhobar for helping runaway maids find jobs illegally. At the time of arrest, the man, assisted by an Indonesian maid, was helping another maid to run away from her employer in Alkhobar.
Col. Yousuf Al-Assaf said his department would relentlessly continue the search for overstayers, runaway workers and undocumented migrants.
The official appealed to citizens and expatriates not to help or employ any runaway maids or other workers who have fled their legal sponsors. He also asked them to ensure that the domestic workers they employ carried legal documents entitling them to stay and work in the Kingdom.
He warned that Saudis and expatriates who protect or employ illegal workers would be punished severely.
