Spurious passports used to traffic minors – BI

THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) said human trafficking syndicates could be using the Philippines as a jump-off point for bringing minors to a third country.

Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco on Thursday said immigration officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) have intercepted Vietnamese minors with illegally acquired foreign passports.

“This might be a case of trafficking of minors to illegally enter other countries,” Tansingco said.

On July 22, immigration officers at NAIA Terminal 1 intercepted two Vietnamese female teenagers who tried to enter the country, claiming to be Germans.

The girls, who arrived on a Philippine Airlines flight from Saigon, were denied entry after they presented German passports, which turned out to be stolen.

The two girls were escorted to the next available flight back to their port of origin and blacklisted.

Another Vietnamese minor was intercepted also at NAIA Terminal 1 last July 23 before he could board a Korean Airlines flight to Incheon, South Korea, en route to his final destination, Toronto, Canada.

The 17-year-old male, identified only as Thang, 17, also presented a fraudulently acquired German passport when he presented himself for departure clearance.

He eventually confessed his true identity and showed his Vietnamese passport that was wrapped in a foil and hidden inside his bag.

He said he intended to use the German passport to gain illegal entry to Canada.

He was temporarily housed under the Department of Social Welfare and Development while undergoing deportation proceedings.

The BI found that the teenager was able to illegally acquire his passport from a website allegedly based in Europe that sells fraudulent travel documents.