THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) has arrested a record 268 foreign fugitives from January to June this year.
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said the sharp rise in the number of foreign fugitives rounded up during the first half of 2025 reflected the agency’s intensified efforts to rid the country of undesirable aliens.
“The Philippines will not be a hiding place for fugitives. We are determined to flush them out and send them back to face justice, (in their own countries),” Viado said.
Based on a report by BI’s fugitive search unit (FSU) chief Rendel Ryan Sy, the agency’s record 268 arrests from during the first half of 2025 marked a nearly four-fold increase from the 69 apprehensions made in the same period last year.
All arrested foreigners will undergo deportation proceedings and are to be expelled from the country for being undesirable aliens.
“Our continued cooperation with foreign governments and international law enforcement agencies will ensure that the Philippines remains a secure nation from these fugitives,” Viado said.
