Saudis treated immigrants like animals

An Ethiopian man has been killed by Saudi police officers as Riyadh continues its crackdown on migrants. According to a statement released by Saudi police spokesman Nasser al-Qahtani on Wednesday, the man was killed in southern Riyadh on Tuesday. The Saudi government launched a crackdown on “illegal” migrants including workers early this year. Riyadh offered amnesty to allow the workers to legalize their stay. Expatriates account for around nine million of Saudi Arabia’s population of 28 million. Meanwhile, Filipino workers deported from Saudi Arabia say they have been abused and treated “like animals” by Saudi authorities. Thirty Filipino workers, who returned to Manila on Monday, revealed details of their ordeal during their stay in Saudi Arabia. “They treated us like animals,” said 46-year-old domestic helper Amor Roxas. Saudi police rounded up the workers in a crowded cell for four days before they were allowed to return home, Roxas stated. Yvonne Montefeo, another worker, said, “Our feet were chained.” According to Migrante International, a support group for overseas Filipino workers, the immigrants were among an estimated 6,700 Filipinos stranded in parts of Saudi Arabia for the lack of documents. The group warned that the Filipinos “are in danger of being violently dispersed, arrested and detained by Saudi authorities.”