The Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported the arrest of an American pedophile wanted by authorities in Wisconsin for sexually molesting a child nearly two decades ago.
In a statement, Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco identified the fugitive as Francisco Gomez, 62, who was arrested in Ermita, Manila last February 9 by operatives from the Bureau’s Fugitive Search Unit (FSU).
Tansingco said he issued a mission order for the American’s arrest at the request of the US authorities in Manila which sought the BI’s help in locating and deporting the sex offender.
“We will deport him as soon the BI Board of Commissioners issues the order for his summary deportation after which he will be blacklisted and banned from re-entering the country,” Tansingco added.
He stressed that Gomez’ continued presence here poses a threat to Filipinos.
According to BI-FSU Chief Rendel Ryan Sy, Gomez is wanted to stand trial before a circuit court in Milwaukee, Wisconsin which issued a warrant for his arrest on February 26, 2003 after he was charged with sexual assault of a child.
He, however, eluded arrest in the US and on October 6, 2006 as he fled to the Philippines and never left the country since then.
Sy said Gomez is already an undocumented alien due to the cancellation of his US passport by the State department.
US pedophile arrested in Manila
He is currently held at the BI Warden Facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City pending deportation proceedings.
Earlier, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced the arrest of four South Korean fugitives wanted by authorities in Seoul for serious crimes.
Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the aliens were arrested on various dates in February during separate operations conducted by the BI’s Fugitive Search Unit (FSU) in Metro Manila and Pampanga.
“We are in the midst of an intensified campaign to flush out these wanted foreigners, who are using the country as a refuge to elude arrest and prosecution for crimes they committed in their homeland,” Tansingco said.
According to the BI Chief, all four South Koreans will be deported for being undesirable and undocumented aliens, adding that the latter’s passports were already revoked by their government. “They will also be placed in our blacklist, thus banning them from re-entering the country,” he said.
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