Nationwide inspection campaigns between September 17 and 23 found 13,628 violations of residency, labor and border security laws, the Ministry of Interior said: 6,593 residency violations, 3,531 border security violations and 3,504 labor violations.

Border authorities caught 1,197 people trying to enter the Kingdom illegally, 63% of them Ethiopian, 36% Yemeni and 1% of other nationalities, and arrested 27 others trying to leave illegally. Another 22 people were held for transporting, sheltering or employing violators.

Some 31,398 expatriates, 29,018 men and 2,380 women, are currently going through enforcement procedures. Of these, 18,549 were referred to their embassies or consulates to obtain travel documents and 3,815 were told to arrange their travel, while 12,628 have been repatriated.

The ministry warned that anyone who helps people enter the Kingdom illegally, transports them inside the country or gives them shelter, help or any other service faces up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to SAR1 million, along with confiscation of vehicles and property used.

Describing these acts as major crimes warranting arrest, the ministry asked the public to report violations on 911 in Makkah, Riyadh and the Eastern regions, and on 999 and 996 elsewhere in the Kingdom.