Alien fugitives netted in BI ops

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Thursday announced the arrest of two foreign fugitives on Wednesday in separate operations conducted in Parañaque and Las Piñas.

BI commissioner Norman Tansingco said the arrests were made upon requests from the Chinese and United States governments, who sought the bureau’s assistance in locating the individuals for deportation and trial in their respective countries.

The first fugitive, identified as Deng Hongfu, is a Chinese national accused of operating an illegal business selling stock shares without a permit since 2018.

According to the BI, Deng is wanted by the public security department in Chibi City, China, and is considered an undesirable alien due to a revoked passport and undocumented status since his arrival in the Philippines in March 2019.

Meantime, the second fugitive —identified as American citizen Mark Andrew Baldwin — was arrested at his residence in Las Piñas.

The US Embassy flagged Baldwin for gun possession by a convicted felon, with an arrest warrant issued by a superior court in Cherokee County, Georgia. He is also undocumented due to a revoked US passport.

Both Deng and Baldwin are currently detained at the BI Warden Facility in Taguig City, awaiting deportation proceedings.