BI: 158 illegal aliens arrested in 2021

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Monday reported that 158 aliens in total were arrested by its intelligence officers last year for violating Philippine immigration laws.

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the illegal aliens were arrested in various operations conducted by the members of the BI’s intelligence division in different areas all over the country.

The BI noted that the majority of these aliens were Chinese, with 86 arrests, followed by Koreans with 37.

Also nabbed were ten Nigerians, six Indians, four Americans, four British nationals, three Japanese, two Indonesians, a Dutch, a German, a Tunisian, a Cambodian, a Lebanese, and a Singaporean.

Morente said that the 2021 total is much lower than the 510 in 2020 due to the imposition of travel restrictions for arriving foreigners.

“Since only those with valid and existing long-term visas are allowed entry in the country, we saw a major decrease in the number of foreign nationals in the Philippines,” he said.

“Apart from that, many of those who were already in the country were repatriated back to their homelands,” he added.

Aside from the 158 arrested by the intelligence division, the BI also earlier reported 83 foreign fugitives arrested by the BI’s fugitive search unit, bringing the total arrested aliens to 241.

“The pandemic has been a challenge for our operations. However we will not stop until we have rid the country of these illegal aliens who do not respect our laws. We will find them, arrest them, and deport them,” Morente warned.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Tuesday said Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III has ordered the nationwide inspection of establishments employing these aliens or foreign nationals.

The DOLE said it will also inspect the list of alien employment permit applicants, the list of foreign nationals working at the time of verification, and the roster of local employees. — Giselle Ombay/BM, GMA News