ABHA, 5 February 2008 — Around 60 people, mainly Yemenis, are being arrested on a daily basis in the Asir Region for overstaying their visas, bringing the total number of illegal migrants rounded up in the region over a period of 20 days to 1,200.
Security officials have said that overstayers are responsible for a spate of crimes in the region, including prostitution and bootlegging. Many of those arrested were illegal African immigrants. However, the authorities could not deport them because of difficulties in ascertaining their countries of origin.
Maj. Ahmad Al-Wadani, spokesman for Jizan Police, said security agencies routinely crack down on overstayers and illegal migrants in the Kingdom. “We arrest around 60 people daily, most of them Yemenis. The problem is exacerbated by the long porous border that the Kingdom shares with Yemen,” said Al-Wadani.
“The Traffic Department and the Border Guard last year arrested 435,585 illegal immigrants, who were deported to their home countries,” he added.
Al-Wadani said that overstayers often indulge in criminal activities that affect society. “Many smuggle khat, a leaf widely chewed in the Middle East and East Africa for its stimulating effect; others steal, make alcohol, smuggle weapons and engage in prostitution,” he said.
Police have been active in increasing awareness against sheltering overstayers and Al-Wadani warned that people caught sheltering illegals would be fined.
