Interior Ministry detains 1,315 border infiltrators and warns that aiding violators is a crime of dishonor

Saudi authorities detained 14,165 people in nationwide campaigns targeting violations of residency, labor and border-security regulations between Aug. 27 and Sept. 2, 2026.

The Interior Ministry said the total included 7,121 residency violators, 3,636 border-security violators and 3,408 labor violators. Authorities detained 1,315 people while they allegedly attempted to cross into Saudi Arabia. Ethiopians accounted for 58% of that group, Yemenis for 41% and other nationalities for 1%.

Another 42 people were detained for allegedly attempting to leave the kingdom through unauthorized routes. Authorities also arrested 21 people accused of transporting, sheltering, employing or concealing people who violated residency, labor or border-security rules.

A total of 29,773 foreign violators were undergoing enforcement procedures, including 27,845 men and 1,928 women. Authorities referred 18,937 people to their diplomatic missions to obtain travel documents, completed travel bookings for 3,240 and deported 12,363.

The Interior Ministry warned that anyone who facilitates the entry of border-security violators, transports them inside the kingdom, shelters them or provides any form of assistance or service faces penalties that can reach severe criminal sanctions.