Special to WorldTribune.com

ABU DHABI — Kuwait has been deporting thousands of illegal aliens as
part of a security crackdown.

Security sources said the Gulf Cooperation Council sheikdom has deported
nearly 13,000 foreign nationals since May 1.

The sources said the expulsions reflect a crackdown by Kuwait against illegal aliens from primarily South Asian nations amid rising unrest.

“We see their presence as a security threat and source of unrest,” a
security source said.

The sources said the crackdown would last throughout much of 2012. They said the deportations were being directed by the Interior Ministry in an attempt to reduce the number of illegal migrants as well as warn others to stay away from Kuwait.

“We have been fighting a phenomenon in which illegal aliens were
deported one day and returned soon after,” the source said.

The Kuwaiti daily Al Rai Al Aam said authorities have detained about
20,000 suspected illegal migrants. In a report on June 24, the newspaper reported that the Interior Ministry was ordering constant raids on places where illegal aliens were gathering.

“The security crackdown has bee planned until the end of summer,” Al Rai
said.

The sources said the Interior Ministry has detected about 90,000 illegal
migrants. They said these include foreign nationals who held either an
expired or invalid visa or were working illegally.

Kuwait has been bracing for anti-government protests in wake of a
decision to disband the Islamist-controlled parliament and return the body
that had been elected in 2009. The sources said illegal migrants have been
recruited for demonstrations and could be hired to attack government
facilities.

On June 26, thousands of people protested a court ruling that disbanded
the Islamist-controlled parliament with one elected in 2009. Protest
organizers said one-third of the old royalist parliament was accused of
corruption and graft.

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