Kinumpirma ng Philippine Consulate General sa New York na isang Pilipino ang inaresto ng US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sa Jersey City noong nakaraang linggo.

Sa Media Hour sa tanggapan ng Philippine Consulate General sa New York, tumanggi si Consul General sa New York at Ambassador-designate to Cambodia Senen Mangalile, na magbigay ng karagdagang impormasyon tungkol sa pagkakakilanlan ng dinakip na Pilipino dahil sa kahilingan ng pamilya nito.

Gayunman, sinabi ng opisyal ng tubong Cebu ang inarestong Pinoy.

Matapos ipaalam ng US Department of Homeland Security sa Konsulado ang nangyaring pag-aresto, sinabi ni Mangalile na dinalaw ng ilang kawani ng Assistance-to-Nationals (ATN) section ng Konsulado ang Pilipino na kasalukuyang nakadetine sa isang ICE detention facility sa Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Ayon kay Mangalile, nasa mabuting kalagayan at in good spirits ang Pilipino habang nakadetine.

Nag-alok din ng tulong ang ATN section ng Konsulado sa pamilya, at hiniling nila na manatiling pribado ang kaso habang naghahanda silang umapela o ilaban ang kaso sa immigration court.

“We were officially informed of his arrest and detention on a Sunday. The following day, Monday, we were able to visit him, so that was our first visit,” ani Mangalile.

“We found him in good spirits and in good condition. He was not asking for any assistance from the Consulate. In fact, they told us that they had already obtained their own lawyer. We simply told him that if he needs anything else, we are here to help," dagdag niya.

“His only request was that we keep his situation private. But I want to emphasize that we have been monitoring this case very diligently,” patuloy ng opisyal.

Iniulat na inaresto ang Pilipino matapos sitahin dahil sa isang traffic violation sa New Jersey.

Ayon sa impormasyong ibinigay sa Konsulado, pumasok ang Pilipino sa United States ilang dekada na ang nakalilipas gamit ang athlete visa sa ilalim ng Gintong Alay sports program.

2 tinulungan na makauwi

Iniulat din ni Mangalile ang pagtulong ng Konsulado sa dalawang Pilipino para makauwi ng Pilipinas matapos na lumapit sa kanilang tanggapan.

Iniulat na isa sa mga Pinoy ay biktima ng mapang-abusong relasyon, habang ang isa naman ay isang turista na wala nang sapat na pera para makauwi.

“If I can be as brief as possible, also to protect the interests and privacy of the two individuals, one is a victim of an abusive relationship, while the other is a tourist who simply could not afford to return home,” ani Mangalile.

“Rather than allow them to remain in a difficult situation, we asked the Department of Foreign Affairs for funds to purchase their plane tickets. We were able to accomplish this successfully through collaboration with other government agencies, including the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, the Bureau of Immigration, and our Department of Foreign Affairs offices in the provinces, which also assisted us in ensuring the safe return of our fellow Filipinos,” sabi pa ng opisyal.

Hindi rin nagbigay ng detalye ang Konsulado ng iba pang impormasyon tungkol sa dalawang Pinoy na tinulungang umuwi ng bansa.— Dave Llavanes Jr./FRJ GMA News