18,000 violators of residency and labor laws were apprehended in Saudi Arabia within a week
The Saudi Ministry of Interior announced the results of joint field campaigns conducted by various security sectors across the Kingdom, as part of its ongoing efforts to enhance security and regulate the labor market. These intensive campaigns, carried out between December 25 and 31, 2025, resulted in the apprehension of thousands of individuals violating the country's sovereign regulations.
Details of the security seizures
18,805 violators were apprehended during field campaigns . The violations spanned three main sectors: residency violations topped the list with 11,752, followed by border security violations with 4,239, and finally, labor law violations with 2,814.
Border security and infiltration attempts
In the context of protecting the Kingdom's borders, security authorities detected attempts to cross the border illegally. A total of 1,739 individuals were apprehended while attempting to enter the Kingdom. Yemeni nationals constituted 37% of those apprehended, Ethiopian nationals 62%, and other nationalities 1%. Additionally, 46 individuals were arrested for attempting to leave the Kingdom illegally, and 14 individuals were apprehended for their involvement in transporting, harboring, and employing these violators.
Campaign context and its strategic importance
These intensified security campaigns are an extension of Saudi Arabia's efforts to implement the "A Nation Without Violators" initiative, a national strategy aimed at eliminating the phenomenon of undocumented workers and those violating residency regulations. These efforts are of paramount importance within the framework of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, which seeks to regulate the labor market, create a secure investment environment, and protect the national economy from the negative repercussions of commercial concealment and irregular employment.
Observers believe that the continuation of these campaigns reflects the government's resolve in enforcing the law, which directly contributes to reducing crime rates and enhancing social and economic stability. Furthermore, border control plays a pivotal role in regional security, as these measures curb smuggling and human trafficking.
Regulatory procedures and deterrent penalties
The ministry clarified that the total number of individuals currently undergoing procedures for implementing the regulations is 28,411 undocumented migrants, including 26,855 men and 1,556 women. Of these, 20,555 have been referred to their respective diplomatic missions to obtain travel documents, 3,904 to finalize their travel arrangements, and 12,238 have already been deported.
The Ministry of Interior reiterated its strong warnings that anyone who facilitates the entry of violators of the border security system, transports them, or provides them with shelter, exposes himself to severe penalties of up to 15 years imprisonment, a fine of up to one million riyals, confiscation of the means of transport and residence, and public shaming, describing these actions as major crimes that violate honor and integrity.
The ministry called on everyone to cooperate and report any violations via the number (911) in the regions of Makkah, Riyadh and the Eastern Province, and the numbers (999) and (996) in the rest of the regions of the Kingdom.
