Authorities intensify drive against illegal expats

(MENAFN- Arab News) Saudi Arabia has stepped up its campaign against illegal foreign workers including violators of residency and labor regulations in its bid to clean up the labor market and find jobs for its unemployed citizens.

During the first month of the new Hijri year 1436 security officers in the Makkah region arrested 35744 expats including those who have overstayed their Haj Umrah and visit visas said Lt. Col. Aati bin Atiyyah Al-Qurashi spokesman of police in the region.

He said the illegal workers were transferred to the concerned authorities for punitive action. He warned citizens and residents against employing sheltering and transporting illegal workers saying they would face stiff punishment.

Police in Qassim said Tuesday that they have arrested 4765 illegal workers during the past one month. 'They belonged to different nationalities' said Captain Badr Al-Suhaibani spokesman of police in the region. He said the largest number of illegal workers were netted in Buraidah followed by Al-Rass and Unaizah adding that the arrests were carried out with the support of field forces highway police and patrols.

Al-Suhaibani said security forces would continue their efforts to track down the remaining illegal workers in the region and punish them in accordance with the law.

In Baha security forces nabbed 1371 illegal workers said police spokesman Col. Saad Saleh Tarad adding that they included 502 people without identity proofs and 573 without resident permits.

He said 43 people were overstaying their visas 202 have not renewed their resident permits and five of them have run away from sponsors. 'About 15 expats were held for working for companies and individuals other than their sponsors while 27 were working on their own account' Col. Tarad said.

'We have handed these illegal workers to the concerned authorities to take punitive action' he said. Col. Tarad urged citizens to cooperate with security forces to drive out expats who violate the country's rules and regulations.

An Indian engineer who was working for a construction company in Yanbu was deported recently for allegedly working for a firm other than his sponsor.

'I was on a visa issued by a manpower supply company which deployed me to work for a construction firm. The Labor Ministry officials raided the construction site and checked my iqama and found that I was working for another company. The manpower company had not given me the Ajeer letter that was required to work for another firm. The company was given one week to produce Ajeer but could not as the other firm was in

the red category. The officials fined the manpower supply company and asked them to deport me' the expat told Arab News.

In a previous statement Labor Minister Adel Fakeih said the Kingdom would not allow illegal foreign workers to stay in the Kingdom at any cost. 'We'll intensify the ongoing campaign to drive out all illegal workers' he added.

He said there is no justification for keeping violators of the Kingdom's laws inside the country. 'Only those people who respect and abide by the country's laws and system can stay' he added.

Fakeih downplayed the impact of the government's campaign against illegal workers on businesses. 'We are determined to clean up the labor market and will not allow violators to work in the country for any reason' he maintained.