Indonesia has received 211 migrant workers who were deported from Saudi Arabia

On Sunday morning, 211 Indonesian migrant workers who had been sent back to Indonesia from Saudi Arabia were met at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport by Dzulfikar Ahmad Tawalla, who is the deputy minister in charge of protecting migrant workers in Indonesia.

In Tangerang, Banten Province, Tawalla said that the government really cares about all Indonesian citizens. He cited the case of the arriving migrant workers, who Saudi Arabia had sent back due to visa violations.

But Tawalla said he was sorry that this kind of deportation case happened again. He said it was because the migrant workers didn’t get enough accurate information about immigration rules and their foreign work placements.

The deputy minister said that many Indonesians have been trying to work in 19 Middle Eastern countries over and over again, even though the Indonesian government has put a stop to sending foreign workers there.

“We hope that this kind of case will not recur in the future,” he said.

At the same time, Yudha Nugraha, Director of Indonesian Citizens Protection at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, said that most of the 211 Indonesian migrant workers had been kicked out of Saudi Arabia for not having the right papers and staying too long.

He stated, “The Shumaisi immigration detention center in Saudi Arabia held some of them.”

To deal with this problem, Nugraha stressed that the government should do everything possible to protect its people, such as giving them full details about the dangers of working abroad.

The official stressed how important it was for the government and people to follow Law No. 18 of 2017 regarding the safety of Indonesian migrant workers.

“Once arriving in your country of destination, you must abide by its prevailing regulations, including those related to immigration,” he said to people.