(Eagle News) — Over 100 foreign nationals were arrested in 2021 for violating Philippine immigration laws, the Bureau of Immigration said.
According to the bureau, of the 158 nabbed in operations conducted by members of the bureau’s Intelligence Division nationwide, 86 were Chinese, 37 were Koreans, and 10 were Nigerians.
Also arrested were six Indians, four Americans, four British nationals, three Japanese, two Indonesians, a Dutch, a German, a Tunisian, a Cambodian, a Lebanese, and a Singaporean.
According to Immigration Chief Jaime Morente, the number is lower than the 510 arrested in 2020.
“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,” Morente said.
He said many of those who were also already in the country were repatriated back to their homelands.
“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,” he said.
