2000 illegal foreign workers arrested, 500 deported in Jordan

Some 2,000 foreign workers have been arrested and 500 deported after they were found in violation of the labour and residency regulations during a crackdown that began earlier this year and is still on, according to the labour ministry’s inspection department director, Ayman Khawaldeh.He told reporters that the campaign is still underway, urging both foreign labourers and employers to adhere to the labour law.“Every incoming worker should have a valid labour permit. Otherwise, deportation orders will be issued against the violators,” he said, adding that the ministry is issuing between 100-150 deportation orders daily.The ministry had, between the years 2011 and 2013, published lists of about 270,000 workers whose permits had expired but had not been regularly renewed on its website. Among them were about 23,000 who were rounded up last year.The ministry last year also issued more than 30,000 closure orders or notifications against employers who breached the regulations.