The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has arrested a Taiwanese fugitive in Pasay City as part of the government’s intensified campaign against immigration violators and foreign nationals wanted for crimes abroad.

In a statement Saturday, the BI said operatives from its Fugitive Search Unit (FSU), in coordination with the National Bureau of Investigation–Organized and Transnational Crime Division (NBI-OTCD), apprehended Chien Wen-Chieh, 33, along Roxas Boulevard on the evening of 28 January.

Chien’s arrest was carried out pursuant to a mission order issued after Taiwanese authorities formally notified Philippine officials that he was a fugitive from justice.

According to records shared with the BI, Chien is the subject of an arrest warrant issued on 31 August 2023 by the Taiwan Miaoli District Prosecutor’s Office for theft.

BI database verification revealed that Chien last entered the Philippines in 2023 as a temporary visitor but failed to extend or convert his visa, rendering him an overstaying and undesirable alien. The BI said his continued presence posed a risk to public safety and security.

Chien has been transferred to the Bureau of Immigration Warden Facility, where he will remain detained while undergoing deportation proceedings.