Expats who went for illegal Haj to be sacked, deported

Jeddah, Oct 19: The Passport Department has sent text messages to sponsors and employers to fire their expatriate employees who performed Haj illegally this year, in preparation for their deportation.

The Kingdom's security agencies used new fingerprinting devices in Makkah and the holy sites this year to detect expatriates without Haj permits.

Ali Massoud, who has a barbershop in Jeddah, told Arab News he received a message to fire his workers.

“I have two Egyptian workers who went to Haj without permits. They did not tell me about their plans. I received a text message to end their contracts because they will be deported following their return from Haj,” said Massoud.

Khaled Abbas, a human resources supervisor at a private company, said his office also received SMSs from the passport department.

“We have a number of expat workers who went to perform Haj without permits. We received text messages to end their contracts when they return from Makkah. We will pay all their financial obligations to help them leave the Kingdom,” said Abbas.

Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal had warned that expatriates found violating Haj rules would be deported and banned for 10 years. The governor also warned Saudi drivers they would face punishment for transporting illegal pilgrims.

Saudi Arabia has reduced the number of illegal pilgrims this year by 65 percent using the new fingerprinting devices, according to an Arabic daily. Prince Khaled said 15,000 illegal pilgrims were prevented from performing Haj this year.