Bureau of Immigration (BI) authorities arrested an American fugitive wanted by US federal authorities for theft and forgery.
In a report to Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente, the BI’s fugitive search unit (FSU) identified the fugitive as Howard Bernard John Highley, 68, who was arrested at his residence in the town of Mangaldan, Pangasinan.
Highley faces immediate deportation for being an undesirable and undocumented alien as his US passport was already revoked by the State Department.
Morente earlier issued a mission order for Highley’s arrest at the request of American embassy authorities which sought his deportation to the US so he could stand trial for his alleged crimes.
The US government said that Highley is the subject of an arrest warrant issued in October 2020 by a court in Hamilton County, Tennessee.
He was reportedly charged before the said court with two counts of theft of property and one count of forgery.
Highley is now detained at the BI detention facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City pending deportation proceedings. He will be placed in the immigration blacklist and barred from re-entering the country after he is deported