MANILA, Philippines — Chinese nationals topped the list of foreigners arrested for staying and working in the country illegally, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Monday.
In a statement, the bureau said a total of 533 illegal aliens were arrested in 2018.
BI Acting Intelligence Chief Fortunato Manahan Jr. said the bureau apprehended 393 Chinese nationals, 52 Korean nationals, 12 American nationals, and several Africans.
Manahan noted that most of the arrested foreigners include overstaying aliens, illegal foreign vendors, and aliens illegally employed as construction workers, miners, and other blue collar jobs.
BI Commissioner Jaime Morente added that majority of those arrested were either working without permits or were engaging in gainful activity without proper visas.
Morente also said that the number of illegal aliens arrested during the year does not include the more than 200 foreign fugitives nabbed by the BI.
“These 533 aliens pertain only to those who were arrested in operations conducted by our Intelligence Division, which is separate from our Fugitive Search Unit,” he said.
The bureau added that aside from the arrested illegal aliens, it also deported 611 foreigners who were found guilty of violating the country’s immigration rules. /ee
RELATED STORY:
BI: Chinese nationals top list of barred aliens