A foreign national who came into Guam was recently arrested, making it the first arrest of a foreign national among the increasing number of migrants entering the island unlawfully.
Jianfeng Lu’s Arrest
Last night, Jianfeng Lu was arrested on suspicion of violating Guam’s arrival requirements.
Guam Police responded to a report from a concerned fisherman after seeing suspicious activity near Ritidian.
When officials from the Customs & Quarantine Agency, Guam Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigations reported to the scene, they located several individuals in the area who they believe entered the island unlawfully through the coastline.
While officials conducted their investigation, a vehicle operated by Lu drove up. He was accompanied by a female adult and an infant.
Some speculate that Lu drove to the scene to receive the arriving migrants.
Lu admitted to officials that he entered Guam through a self-manned vessel from the CNMI months ago. He also admitted to not having proper documents for entry.
Officials then arrested Lu with the following charges.
- Failure to Acquire Clearance Requirements (As a Misdemeanor)
- Failure to Deliver a Manifest to a Customs Officer (As a Misdemeanor)
- Invalid Place of Unloading (As a Violation)
Peredo on Tuesday’s Arrest
Ike Peredo, Director of the CQA, spoke with Newstalk K57’s Patti Arroyo about Tuesday night’s events.
“[Officers] managed to describe that they were, more or less. Chinese nationals.” Peredo said, “And as a result of that, there were 7 individuals that came in.”
According to Peredo, Nationals often tell officials that they are coming to Guam because there is no work in Saipan.
“Some of them say that they are here to seek employment.”
Guam Department of Labor is also involved in the task force to screen workplaces of possible nationals without work visas or documentation.
The Multi-Agency Task Force
The task force was made specifically to mitigate those coming through illegal ports of entry without proper documentation.
However, according to Peredo, local law enforcement has no jurisdiction to make arrests and will be left to federal agencies to prosecute.
Peredo says that the only criminal activity that local law enforcement can act on is the person picking up those entering illegally — such in the case of Jianfeng Lu.
Peredo advises the public to contact the CQA at 671-642-8071 if they see suspicious activity relating to foreign nationals.
This is the first arrest of a foreign national made since the establishment of the multi-agency task force.
Lu has been put on $2,000 bail and remains in custody.
Reach reporter Devin Eligio : devin@spbguam.com
