Here’s some good advise from Israel’s neighbor to the south east, regarding what to do with its large population of illegal aliens from Africa: Kick them all out.
The Saudi Ministries of Interior and Labor have urged illegal expatriate workers to legalize their residency and labor status during the current amnesty period, which ends on Nov. 3, to avoid punitive action, Zawya reported.
Mind you, this is Saudi Arabia, where the words “punitive action” carry some serious weight.
The country has hired 1,000 inspectors to check on small business hiring practices and ensure foreigners aren’t working illegally, Reuters reported.
“We have and will continue to have millions of foreign workers,” said Labour Minister Adel al-Fakieh. “We have 7.5 million legal foreign workers, and we need them. We will continue to issue visas for others, but those who want to come to this country have to respect the law.”
Saudi Arabian authorities have already deported hundreds of thousands of illegal workers. The crackdown is aimed at reducing unemployment among legal residents, which currently stands at 12 percent, according to Reuters.
“You have to take speedy steps to legalize the status of workers by approaching government agencies in compliance with rules and regulations,” the ministries of Interior and Labor said in a joint statement issued on Tuesday, according to Zawya.
“Punishment will be imposed on violators, including expats and their employers, in accordance with the law,” the ministries warned. “We will not show any leniency for violators,” they added.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah extended the first three-month amnesty period in response to proposals made by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Labor and Interior, as the period was not enough to rectify the status of millions of workers.
The royal decree extending the amnesty also cited requests made by various foreign embassies that had complained of the “pressure on their missions” from the large numbers of workers seeking to correct their status.
The decree had also warned of a crackdown on illegal workers after the amnesty ends.
Hundreds of thousands of undocumented expatriate workers, including overstaying pilgrims and runaway workers who escaped from their employers, have rectified their status since the government announced the three-month grace period.