MANILA—Agents of the Bureau of Immigration’s (BI) Fugitive Search Unit (FSU) arrested three Chinese men in Tawi-Tawi after they were caught attempting to illegally cross Philippine borders, the agency said .

BI FSU Chief Rendel Ryan Sy identified the suspects as Zhang Xiaofeng, 36; Guo Jinxia, 35; and Zhong Xiongwei, 54.

Police intercepted Zhang and Guo during a routine checkpoint at the Port of Mapun in Tawi-Tawi, while Zhong was apprehended by the Philippine National Police (PNP) Maritime Group’s 1st Special Operations Unit during a separate port inspection. The operations were conducted with the Tawi-Tawi Provincial Police Information and Technology Management Division (PIT) and the Regional Intelligence Unit 9.

Authorities later confirmed the three were overstaying, prompting their arrest by the BI.

BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said the bureau has been actively coordinating with local law enforcement agencies in areas identified as illegal migration corridors or so-called backdoors to curb unauthorized border crossings.

The suspects were initially held under the custody of the Tawi-Tawi Police Provincial Office and the PNP Maritime Group before being transferred to the BI’s Bicutan facility on September 1, where they will remain while facing deportation proceedings.