Sueselbeck deportation fiasco prompts solon to push review of WW2 era immigration law

MANILA — Iloilo City Congressman Jerry Trenas on Thursday said there is a need to review the procedures of deportation and the blacklisting of undesirable aliens by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) as he observed that the reasons cited to hold the departure of German national Marc Sueselbeck appears to be already obsolete especially at this day and age of internet and digital technology.

Trenas old rules and conditions set for deportations hearings should be tweaked to allow summary proceedings as he noted that it doesn’t make sense that the BI had to hold the departure of Suselbeck for the purpose of deportation especially if the subject of such procedure is already voluntarily deporting himself.

“It really doesn’t make any sense that the BI would stop him (Suselbeck) from leaving because we want him to undergo a procedure that would force him to leave the country in the first place. At this day and age of internet and digital technology, you don’t even need two hours to conduct a deportation procedure,” Trenas said.

Trenas, however said that the BI under Commissioner Siegfrid Mison should not be blamed for the country’s long and winding deportation procedures because these are provided under the country’s existing laws on immigration and deportation.

He said that for example, the grounds for deportation and the procedures required prior to a deportation of an undesirable alien are mostly based on the World War II era Philippine Immigration Act of 1940.

“I think that we need to fully overhaul of our immigration law. Suselbeck’s case should prompt Congress to review the country’s immigration law especially the rules and procedures on deportation, “ Trenas explained.

Last Sunday, Suselbeck was prevented from leaving for the purpose of placing him under deportation procedures after charges of gross arrogance and serious disrespect to Filipino authorities was filed against him before the BI.

This came a few days after he forcibly entered an off-limits area in Camp Aguinaldo and shoved a Filipino soldier when he and the family of slain Filipino transgender Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude insisted on getting inside the facility for a face-off with the suspect, US Marine Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton.

The Visayan solon said that this action of Suselbeck is truly disrepectful but since the purpose of the filing of charges against him before the BI was for his deportation, there is no point stopping him from voluntarily deporting himself.

“The subject of the deportation proceedings already wants to be deported so why waste time doing all these hearings? He should have just been allowed to leave and placed on BI’s list of undesirable aliens,” Trenas pointed out.

The veteran lawmaker said it would have been another diplomatic disaster had there been an untoward incident that happened to Suselbeck when he was prevented to leave the country at the airport.