ShareBy Khaled Al-Abdulhadi
KUWAIT: The number of expatriates deported since the beginning of this year until the end of July has exceeded 20,000 individuals. By yearend, this figure may surpass the record set last year when 30,000 men and women with invalid residency permits were deported. The deportation drive is part of the interior ministry tripartite committee’s efforts to reduce the number of marginal laborers and expatriates living illegally in Kuwait.
At the current pace, it is estimated that approximately 40,000 expatriates will be deported before the start of the next year, marking a 33 percent increase in deportations compared to the previous year. The deported individuals come from various nationalities, according to a ministerial source, with many of them facing serious violations such as drug-related offenses, theft, public disturbances, illegal alcohol production or expired residency permits. Others were deported for traffic violations or reasons related to public interest.
Among those deported, about 4,000 were Indians, 1,800 were Bangladeshis, 1,100 were Egyptians, 1,600 were Sri Lankans and 700 were Ethiopians, with a majority of them being women. The surge in the number of deportations this year can be attributed to the continued security campaigns conducted in various areas at various times, targeting localities where a higher number of expatriate violators are expected to be present, including Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh, Hawally, Mahboula, Farwaniya, etc.
The committee, led by the interior ministry, aims to restore balance to the population demographics. Latest statistics from the Public Authority for Civil Information reveal Kuwait’s total population comprises 4.823 million people, with 1.531 million being Kuwaiti citizens and 3.292 million non-Kuwaiti residents (31.74 percent Kuwaitis and 68.26 percent expats). It’s important to note that many marginal workers may not have been accounted for, making up a significant portion of the interior ministry’s target group.
A study published in June on ScienceDirect, which sought to measure the consequences of reducing the immigrant population, found such reductions would have inevitable adverse economic and welfare impacts on the native population, unless accompanied by productivity-enhancing policies. It noted that Kuwait, as a member country of the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council), has adhered to a ‘guest worker’ immigration policy for over half a century. By 1960, approximately two decades after the discovery of oil in Kuwait, foreign residents accounted for more than half of the resident population, and this percentage continued to rise, reaching just over 70 percent in 2016.
But some believe deporting expatriates who are illegally present in Kuwait is deemed a necessary step that would benefit both expatriates with valid residency permits who seek to make an honest living and Kuwaiti citizens affected by the demographic imbalance. On Saturday, the interior ministry announced the arrest of 73 individuals of different nationalities in 12 separate cases on charges related to acts contrary to public morals in various areas of the country, including Mahboula, Jleeb Al-Shyoukh, Salmiya, Adan, South Surra, Mubarak Al-Kabeer, and Jahra, all in exchange for money.
Additionally, last week, the biometric system detected expatriates who had attempted to forge their fingerprints through surgery, who were arrested on arrival. MPs have raised 30 questions regarding expatriates in the previous parliamentary session alone. Moreover, lawmakers have called for legislation to further scrutinize expatriates entering the country for the first time. The issue is exacerbated as local sponsors abuse the practice of bringing in workers.
