The Passport Department has sent text messages to sponsors and employers to fire their expatriate employees who performed Hajj 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 Hajj permits, Arab News reported on Saturday.
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 Hajj 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 Hajj,” said Massoud.
Khaled Abbas, a human resources supervisor at a private company, said his office also received SMSs from the passport department.