The Philippines’ Bureau of Immigration says that 29 foreigners caught during a raid on an illegal online gaming facility in Cavite are going to be deported.
The individuals were arrested during a Wednesday raid on a private resort in Silang town.
The group encompasses 23 Chinese and six Myanmar nationals.
According to BI Commissioner Joel Viado, “the aliens will be charged with immigration violation cases before the BI board of commissioners which will issue the orders for their deportation and their inclusion in our blacklist, effectively banning them from re-entering the country”.
The custody of the foreigners resides with the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), but Viado indicated that the 29 foreigners will be under the legal custody of the immigration bureau during the deportation proceedings.
Authorities are now pondering filing a case against the renters of the resort for harboring illegal aliens.
“If during our investigation, we discover that they have knowingly harbored these illegal workers, then they will face cases for violation of the Philippine immigration law,”.
Those convicted of harboring illegal aliens can face up to 10 years in jail.
In an interesting twist, authorities say they found the illegal workers during an operation aimed at capturing a Chinese fugitive who was suspected to be hiding in the resort. However, authorities say the fugitive was not present when the raid took place.
