BI denied 1,300 aliens entry in ’21

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said it barred more than 1,300 foreigners from entering the country in 2021, having deemed that their presence was inimical to national interest.

In a report given to BI Commissioner Jaime Morente, BI Port Operations Division chief Atty. Carlos Capulong said a total of 1,320 aliens were refused entry the country last year, which was lower than the over 3,000 foreign nationals who were intercepted in 2020.

Capulong clarified that the decline was expected, considering the travel bans imposed the whole year of 2021, which, in turn, resulted in the lower number of arriving passengers.

He also disclosed that 450 Chinese nationals topped the list of the excluded aliens, followed by 261 Vietnamese, 159 Americans, 33 British and 24 Israelis.

Capulong added that the 1,320 aliens, 676 were excluded for not having the means to support their stay in the country and whose purposes of stay in the country were doubtful, while the 501 were deemed as improperly documented.  Meanwhile 69 were excluded for being blacklisted.

BI chief then vowed to ensure that the BI will continue to strictly guard the country’s borders against undesirable aliens.

Morente said that despite the woes of the pandemic, their officers in the frontlines shall continue to ensure that only those eligible foreigners are allowed to enter the country.