Indonesia repatriates 152 citizens deported from Saudi Arabia

By VNA May 5, 2025 | 04:52 pm PT

Visitors walk near the King Fahd Library, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, March 12, 2020. Photo by Reuters

The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has helped repatriate 152 citizens who were deported from Saudi Arabia for violating stay permits and employment regulations.

It reported on May 3 that the deportees returned home via Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, two days ago. They had been detained at the Syumaisi Immigration Detention Facility in Mecca for working illegally in Saudi Arabia.

They consisted of 130 women, 13 men, and nine children, most of whom came from provinces with high numbers of Indonesian migrant workers, such as West Java and West Nusa Tenggara.

According to the ministry, since the beginning of this year, the Indonesian Government has facilitated the return of 1,304 nationals from the Middle Eastern country in seven repatriation batches, all for similar violations.

In response to these ongoing cases, the Foreign Affairs Ministry continues to urge prospective Indonesian migrant workers to seek overseas employment only through legal and official channels to avoid legal complications abroad.

Minister for Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers Abdul Kadir Karding noted on March 15 that women account for about 70% of Indonesians working illegally in the Middle East.

Karding said his ministry is working with the police, the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), the military, and immigration offices to address the issue.

Indonesia has recently established a dedicated desk to handle matters related to human trafficking and the protection of Indonesian migrant workers, he added.