SAUDI ARABIA: 24,945 Illegal Residents Arrested

Undocumented Ethiopian expats board buses in Riyadh's Manfouha district to be taken to a deportation center during a crackdown on illegal residents in mid-2013. Thousands of illegals have also been arrested from the district in the past months, say immigration officials.

The police rounded up 24,945 illegal expatriates last year in connection with the Kingdom’s campaign to combat crime.

“Most of those arrested were men and women staying in Asbalh and Manfouha neighborhoods in central Riyadh,” said Col. Fawaz bin Maiman, spokesman for Riyadh police.

Of the number, 21,482 committed residency permit violations , 279 violated labor permits while 3,184 were vendors who committed offenses against municipal rules and regulations.

He noted that the two districts are characterized by narrow streets with nondescript houses where criminals and illegal residents normally stay.

He said that the nature of “these neighborhoods attracts criminals, or individuals who have the tendency to commit criminal acts, and provides them opportunities to hide and plan criminal activities.”

“Many of the housing facilities in these areas are run-down or dilapidated and fit for people with criminal tendencies to live,” he said.