The Bureau of Immigration arrested 533 foreigners last year as a result of the agency’s intensified campaign against illegal aliens.
Six-hundred eleven aliens were deported after they were found guilty of violating the country’s immigration act.
BI Commissioner Jaime Morente disclosed that many of those arrested were caught in flagrante working without permits or engaging in gainful activity without proper visas.
“I am proud to say that due to our intensified campaign against illegal aliens, the number of arrests we made last year was 326 percent higher than those apprehended in 2017,” Morente said.
The BI chief said the resolution of the more than 600 deportation cases was expedited to decongest the detention facility in Taguig City.
BI intelligence chief Fortunato Manahan Jr. reported that many of those arrested included overstaying aliens, illegal foreign vendors, and aliens illegally employed as construction workers, miners, and other blue collar jobs.
Manahan said that 393 Chinese topped the list of the arrested foreigners, followed by 52 Koreans, 12 Americans, and a number of Africans.
Morente explained that the 533 arrested aliens do not include the more than 200 foreign fugitives apprehended by the bureau.
He said they will be relentless in their drive against illegal aliens. (Jun Ramirez)
