The Passports Department has prevented the entry of 714 blacklisted people into the country since Jan. 5 by land, sea or air.

The department said that these violators were netted during their paperwork and fingerprinting.

The General Directorate of Passports confirmed that the Interior Ministry has secured border outlets with advanced technological equipment and by training security staff. It explained that the biometric device, known as “basma” (Arabic for fingerprint), is highly effective in matching fingerprints against IDs and ensuring that there are no security issues that prevent travelers from leaving or entering the country.

The National Information Center previously endorsed the devices.

The Passports Department at King Abdulaziz International Airport recently arrested two residents of Asian and African descent as they were leaving the Kingdom because their fingerprints did not match the data registered in the central automated system.

They have been referred to bodies of jurisdiction.

The Saudi-Yemeni border has seen a huge number of infiltrators over the past year. These are job seekers, weapons smugglers or terrorists. Infiltrators were reportedly chased off or stopped for interrogation and deported.