Kuwait deports 19,000 expats in major crackdown

Kuwaiti authorities have deported more than 19,000 expatriates between January 1 and July 2025 as part of a wide-scale campaign to crack down on illegal residents and violators of labor and residency laws, according to a senior security official.

The deportees, men and women from various nationalities, were removed for a range of offenses, including absconding from employers, engaging in illegal street vending, begging and breaching the country’s strict residency and labor regulations. Others faced deportation for public interest reasons or were arrested over charges linked to alcohol, drugs or substance abuse.

According to Arab Times, multiple departments within the Ministry of Interior are involved in ongoing operations that have led to the arrest of thousands of violators.

“The majority of deportees complete their departure within a week, depending on their destination and flight schedules”, the report added, noting the process is typically swift.

The crackdown intensified during the holy month of Ramadan, when authorities deported approximately 60 beggars, both male and female.

All individuals deported during the campaign were fingerprinted at the airport. Their names were also added to Kuwait’s blacklist, permanently banning them from re-entering the country.