The Benghazi Security Directorate announced the arrest of a large number of workers who entered the country illegaly.

The directorate indicated in a statement on Monday that "the Ras Ubaidah police station has prepared a mini-plan to combat and eliminate this phenomena," and noted that "sudden stops are being made in some places where irregular migrants are located."

According to the statement, "the efforts of this campaign resulted in the arrest of a large number of expatriate workers and migrants who entered the country illegally."

Libya is a transit country for migrants trying to reach Europe from North Africa via the Italian coast. According to the latest figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 153,000 migrants have arrived in Italy this year from Tunisia and Libya. On December 17, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on the social media platform X that 61 migrants, including women and children, had drowned in a "tragic" boat accident off the coast of the Libyan city of Zuwara.