JAKARTA - Saudi security forces arrested 18,805 people between December 25 and 31 for violating residency, labor and border rules, according to a newly published Saudi Press Agency. The breakdown shows 11,752 arrests for residency violations, 4,239 for illegal border crossing and 2,814 for labor violations.

Among the 1,739 people caught trying to enter the kingdom illegally during that week, 62% were Ethiopian and 37% were Yemeni nationals. Another 46 people were caught trying to cross into neighboring countries, and 14 were arrested for helping migrants by providing transportation or shelter.

These weekly arrest figures have become routine. Saudi Arabia publishes similar statistics every seven days. The Interior Ministry warns that anyone caught helping undocumented migrants faces up to 15 years in prison and fines reaching 1 million Saudi riyals (about $267,000). Vehicles and properties used to transport or house migrants can be confiscated.

The kingdom hosts over 13 million migrant workers who make up roughly 42% of the total population, according to 2022 census data. Most come from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Ethiopia and Yemen. 

Saudi Arabia claimed it abolished the kafala sponsorship system in June 2025, replacing it with a contract-based model that supposedly gives workers more freedom to change jobs and leave the country. The reform was part of Vision 2030, the government's plan to modernize the economy and improve its international image ahead of hosting the 2034 FIFA World Cup.

But the system hasn't fundamentally changed. Earlier reforms in 2021 excluded domestic workers, construction laborers and hospitality staff. The same vulnerable groups who face the worst abuse still don't have the protections promised to other migrant workers.

Human Rights Watch previously documented cases in 2022 and 2023 where Saudi border guards killed Ethiopian migrants trying to cross from Yemen. The organization also reported guards using explosive weapons and shooting some people at close range. Ethiopian and Yemeni migrants take a particularly dangerous route through Djibouti and Somalia to reach Yemen, then try to cross into Saudi Arabia through the mountains.