The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has expressed alarm over the recent trend of minor aliens obtaining fraudulently acquired foreign passports.
In a statement, BI Chief Norman Tansingco said immigration officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) have encountered three incidents of Vietnamese children presenting illegally obtained German passports, a possible case of trafficking of minors to illegally enter other countries.
Immigration officers at NAIA Terminal 1 also intercepted two Vietnamese women who attempted to enter the country claiming to be German nationals.
“They were lookalikes, but were detected as both German passports prompted a hit in the BI’s Interpol derogatory check system indicating that their travel documents were reported as lost or stolen,” Tansingco said.
Meanwhile, another Vietnamese minor was intercepted at NAIA Terminal 1 before he could board a Korean Airlines flight to Incheon, South Korea, en route to his final destination in Toronto, Canada.
The child, identified as “Thang,” 17, also presented a fraudulently acquired German passport when he presented himself for departure clearance. He admitted that he intended to use the German passport to gain illegal entry to Canada.
