JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia
Over two thousand illegal immigrants detained over the weekend in Saudi Arabia are facing deportation, according to the interior ministry.
The arrested workers - who either had no work permits or their permits had not been renewed - mainly consisted of Yemeni, Pakistani, Indian, Bangladeshi, Sudanese, Sri Lankan and Egyptian citizens, according to the interior ministry.
Many large business and shopping centers were raided in joint operations by the interior and labor ministries.
Hundreds of thousands of workers have been deported since the government introduced a regulation in March 2013 which sends undocumented workers back to their countries of origin.
The unemployment rate is around 12 percent in Saudi Arabia and foreign workers comprise 55 percent of the total labor force.
According to UN reports, there are 9.1 million foreign workers in Saudi Arabia, which has a population of 28 million.
Saudi Arabia deported 133,800 Yemeni nationals in 2013, a report by the Yemeni Parliament said. The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Labor announced in December that 80,000 Ethiopians and 50,000 Somalis had been sent to their countries.
One million illegal workers also left the country during the amnesty period extended by Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah to November 3.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
