Indians top number of illegal aliens in Davao

Sunday, January 29, 2012

THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) in Davao City arrested 21 illegal aliens for alleged violation of the country's immigration laws.

In a telephone interview, lawyer Ma. Antonette Mangrobang, BI acting intelligence chief, told Sun.Star Davao that these undocumented foreign nationals were arrested in separate operations in the city in 2011.

Have something to report? Tell us in text, photos or videos.

She said Indian nationals topped the list of illegal aliens in the city, but did not give the exact figure.

Also in the list, she said, is the American-Indonesian national who escaped from his detention cell at BI-Davao last year.

But Mangobang said most of those arrested have yet to be deported, especially those who have the similar names with other foreigners who are also in the country.

Others who still have pending criminal and civil cases are still being held, she said, adding they are to be deported after their cases are decided by local courts.

Mangrobang said 153 illegal aliens were arrested last year all over the country, including fugitives from justice.

"They are now barred from re-entering our country as a result of their inclusion in our blacklist of undesirable aliens," she said.

BI commissioner Ricardo David Jr. said the operations against illegal aliens were carried out on the strength of mission orders that he issued after they found out these foreign nationals are illegally staying or hiding in the country.

He said those arrested were already charged with deportation cases before the BI board of commissioners by the bureau's prosecutors.

"There will be no letup in our drive against illegal aliens. We should not allow any foreigner to defy our immigration laws and wanted foreign criminals to use our country as refuge," he said.

David said 99 aliens in the country were charged with various immigration offenses, such as working without permit, overstaying, illegal entry, and not having proper documents, while 51 were fugitives who have been hiding in the country to evade prosecution for crimes committed in their homelands.

Forty-four Koreans topped the list, followed by 24 Americans, 21 Indians, 13 Chinese, 11 Japanese, six Germans, five Taiwanese, four Britons, three Liberians, two Nigerians, two Pakistanis, two Britons, two Germans, two Australians, two Norwegians, two Malaysians and two Somalians.

Also in the list are a Sri Lankan, Bangaladeshi, Swiss, Vietnamese, Cambodian, French, New Zealander, an Australian, Syrian, Slovenian, and an Ivory Coast national.