Pinoy arrested by ICE, 2 other Filipinos repatriated —PH Consulate in New York

NEW YORK - The Philippine Consulate General in New York has confirmed the arrest of a Filipino national by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Jersey City last week.

Consul General in New York and Ambassador-designate to Cambodia Senen Mangalile, during a Media Hour at the Philippine Consulate General's office in New York, declined to provide additional information about the Filipino’s identity, including his name, at the request of the family.

He said however that the detained Filipino is a native of Cebu.

After the US Department of Homeland Security informed the Consulate about the arrest, Mangalile said a team from the Consulate’s Assistance-to-Nationals (ATN) section visited the Filipino, who is being detained at an ICE detention facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

According to Mangalile, the detained Filipino is in good spirits and in good condition at the facility.

The Consulate’s ATN section offered assistance to the family, but the family requested that the case remain private as they prepare to contest the matter in 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,” Mangalile said.

“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," he said.

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

The Filipino was reportedly arrested after a traffic stop in New Jersey.

According to information provided to the Consulate, the Filipino entered the United States decades ago on an athlete visa during the Gintong Alay sports program.

2 Filipinos repatriated to PH

Mangalile also reported the repatriation of two Filipinos who sought assistance from the Consulate to return to the Philippines.

One of the Filipinos was reportedly a victim of an abusive relationship, while the other was a tourist who could no longer afford to return home.

“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,” Mangalile said.

“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,” Mangalile added.

The Consulate declined to provide additional information about the two cases in order to protect the individuals’ privacy.

As of this date, the Philippine Consulate General in New York has not received reports of any other Filipinos being detained by ICE within its area of jurisdiction. —KG, GMA News