Saudi authorities have deported 10,000 expatriates in the past week as part of a nationwide crackdown on residency, labor, and border violations, the Ministry of Interior announced.  

In joint operations across the kingdom, authorities arrested over 21,000 violators, including nearly 14,000 for residency breaches, 4,600 for border offenses, and more than 3,000 for labor law violations.  

An additional 27,000 individuals have been referred to their respective embassies for travel documents, while 2,300 are finalizing deportation procedures.  

Security forces also intercepted 1,477 individuals attempting to enter Saudi Arabia illegally—41% were Yemeni, 55% Ethiopian, and 4% from other nationalities. Another 90 were caught trying to leave the country unlawfully.  

Authorities arrested 18 people for harboring, transporting, or employing undocumented expatriates, warning of strict penalties, including up to 15 years in prison, fines up to 1 million riyals, and confiscation of assets used to facilitate violations.  

The ministry emphasized that these offenses are classified as serious crimes and urged the public to report violations via emergency hotlines.  

Currently, 34,000 foreign nationals—31,000 men and 3,000 women—are undergoing legal proceedings as part of the enforcement measures.