140 illegal aliens deported in 2011—BI report

MANILA, Philippines—The Bureau of Immigration said on Monday over 140 illegal aliens have been deported so far in 2011 in the BI’s bid to decongest the detention facility in Taguig City.

According to the agency’s legal division chief, lawyer Arvin Santos, Chinese aliens topped the list of deportees with 53, followed by Americans, 18; Indians, 17; Koreans, 15; and Taiwanese, 10.

Also deported this year were seven Japanese, seven Nigerians, three Germans, two Bangladeshis, two Africans, a Briton and an Australian, among others, reported Santos.

Immigration Commissioner Ricardo David Jr. noted that 144 illegal aliens were expelled pursuant to deportation orders issued against them by the bureau’s Board of Commissioners, which found them liable for violating the country’s immigration laws.

The deportees – which included several fugitives hiding in the country to evade prosecution for crimes committed in their homeland – were also placed oin the immigration blacklist, banning them from reentering the Philippines, added David.

As of December 19, at least 89 foreigners were still being held at the jail facility at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City. However, most of these detainees could not yet be deported due to pending cases filed against them before the local courts.

But the bureau’s legal staff has been instructed to expedite the clearances for deportation of detainees who were not facing criminal charges in any court in the country, Santos said.