MORE than 300 foreigners, majority of them Chinese, have been arrested by a combined team from the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Tarlac for working without appropriate documents.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the operation last Wednesday was carried out after they received information from the NBI International Operations Division about a worksite in barangay Dela Cruz in Bamban, Tarlac allegedly employing at least 200 undocumented foreigners.
Morente said he issued a mission order for the joint operation that led to the arrest of 332 foreigners — 323 Chinese, 8 Malaysians and an Indonesian — who were found by the raiding team manning computers, using cellular phones and other electronic devices without working visas.
“They were reportedly involved in online gambling, internet fraud and other cybercrime operations. They were conducting clandestine operations,” Morente said.
He said the worksite raided was located in a compound under construction in the said barangay.
All 332 are currently under the custody of the NBI pending the filing of charges for violation of the Philippine Immigration Act and deportation.
