‘Mass arrests of illegals is stern message to residency violators’ – ‘MoI means business’
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In this week’s Arab Times online poll, readers weighed in on the reasons for mass arrests of illegal expatriates in Kuwait with the majority of voters believing that the move was an effort to send a stern message to residency law violators. As the Ministry of Interior has renewed its efforts in cracking down on violators, the targeted campaigns have led to the arrests of thousands.
34 percent of the voters felt that this sends a clear message to residency violators. “Anybody who has lived in Kuwait long enough, will know that they can get away with a lot of things and skirt the law if they have wasta. I think this is why we have so many violators in the country. But the constant checking does show how serious the authorities are about the issue now”, a reader stated. “With the MoI taking extreme measures, doing early morning checks and more focused sweeps, I think violators should take the matter seriously and resolve their issues”, another reader commented.
17 percent of respondents felt that the crackdown has left no safe zones for absconders, runaways or those overstaying and 11 percent saw the recent campaigns as a means for the MoI to gather information on those involved in human trafficking. “These large campaigns not only help catch individual violators but also help identify individuals behind the visa trading racket”, a voter shared. Many felt that the crackdown on violators impacted other social problems.
14 percent felt that the crackdown was an attempt to mitigate the adverse effects illegal expatriates have on Kuwait’s social and health services and 3 percent felt that the crackdown aimed to alleviate traffic problems while 13 percent of respondents perceive the campaign as a means of getting rid of cheap labor.
6 percent saw the ongoing initiative as a means to direct violators to Residency Affairs Departments in the country to correct their status. The MoI recently announced that it will not blacklist violators who legalize their status, pay fines and leave the country but anyone proven to have violated the Residency Law who gets arrested will be deported after paying the fine.
MoI officials have announced that security campaigns will continue and will be carried out in all areas and governorates in Kuwait and so have urged violators and those facing legal cases to hasten in rectifying their legal status or request leaving the country after paying fines. Expatriates have also been advised to carry their identification papers at all times and help officials carry out their duty.
By Cinatra Fernandes Arab Times Staff
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