Saudi security forces watch Ethiopians gather as they wait to be
repatriated in Manfouha, southern Riyadh. Saudi Arabia says it has
deported “more than a quarter million” foreign migrant workers from the
kingdom over the past three months.
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA. (AP) — Saudi Arabia says it has
deported "more than a quarter million" foreign migrant workers from the
kingdom over the past three months.
The Interior Ministry said late Tuesday the
foreigners had been residing in the country illegally and were in
violation of labor laws. It didn't elaborate. The deportations began
after Nov. 4 with a nationwide campaign targeting many of the kingdom's 9
million migrant laborers after years of lax law enforcement.
Many of those deported were Ethiopians accused of crossing into Saudi
Arabia illegally through its southern border with Yemen. Most foreign
workers in the kingdom are from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia
and the Philippines, as well as Egypt and Yemen.
Saudi authorities say booting out illegal foreign migrants will open more jobs for its own citizens.
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