The global economic crisis has had the deepest impact on Dubai.The Dubai economy went from being a desert backwater to a major international hub over the past several decades through the rapid development of an economy based primarily on tourism, property and finance. But without the economic cushion of oil like the one enjoyed by its rival emirate, Abu Dhabi, Dubai’s economic bubble quickly burst as the global financial contagion spread deep into the tiny emirate’s key sectors.

As a result, a large number of illegal immigrants in the United Arab Emirates are without jobs, with security concerns in the emirates rising as a result. The emirates are heavily reliant on blue-collar expatriate workers primarily from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Philippines. Since the subsequent demographic imbalance between natives and immigrants is a major national security issue for the United Arab Emirates, the government denies its immigration population citizenship and tends to keep it in flux via mass deportations. When foreigners lose their jobs, they have 30 days to find work, or else they are deported. The emirates also incarcerate foreigners for minor offenses, leading many workers to leave the country after losing their jobs to avoid being jailed for things like writing a hot check.

But not all foreign workers can leave the country. Many of these workers remain in debt to the lenders and agents who brought them to the Gulf to find work, making them unwilling to return home and face the consequences. As a result, a number of foreign workers are living illegally in Dubai or the smaller emirates of Sharjah and Ajman (where living expenses are lower). The United Arab Emirates fear this group could evolve into a bigger security threat, making it less likely to show lenience in the form of amnesty to residency law violators. The crackdowns appear to have begun, and will intensify as the economy of the emirates continues to be buffeted by the global economic crisis.