MANILA, June 5 (PNA) — Foreign nationals who are registered sex offenders in other countries are barred from entering the country, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Thursday.
In an order, Commissioner Siegfred Mison said aliens whose names are found in the registry of sex offenders as may be provided by a foreign embassy will be issued an order to leave since they pose a threat to public safety. Full Article
This is so sad. The US is spreading it’s sickness internationally. I hope the rest of the world doesn’t join in this denial of the basic human right to travel. I wonder how many families this is going to break up.
Disgusting!
All the more reason the argument that registration is punishment is a valid one!
The hard part is while we’re seeing small victories, we are also seeing major setbacks like this. My wife is from the Philippines, but now I could never go with her to visit there as it is now.
This is nuts! I’ve visited PI twice and I was planning a trip in a month or what not. Now, I have elderly parents there who are too old to travel? Now , how can I go see them ? Seriously ? PI is one of the most corrupt countries in the world. You enter the country and hand them a passport and a $20 and your ushered through . You go through customs and hand them. $ as well and they don’t blink an eye. So, why is the US preventing people with past criminal offenses ( mine over. 18 years ago and charges dismissed/expunged )? This is nuts! What if you had become a US citizen , broke the law and wanted to go back to your homeland to visit relatives who where I’ll or dying ?
What appears to be the case is that retro active punishment is taking place on the presumption of guilt when this information allows foreign governments to take action against US citizens – AFTER their cases are closed.
Somewhere in this area is where the law seems clearly to be breaking the constitution.
A TRO should be put in place until foreign countries are made aware of all murderers, carjackers, arsonists, bank robbers, drug dealers etc. – all of whom pose an equal or greater risk than the blanket cross section of registrants, especially those who have completed their sentences and completed parole or probation. Period. Anything short of a full scale broad spectrum and common sense approach would be a violation of equal protection under the law.
It’s pretty clear that the U.S. government is quickly working to cut-off all international travel for RSOs.
This includes people who are not on any parole/probation and who should have all our rights to travel restored.
Someone that I knew from SO therapy many years ago whom I hadn’t heard from in years emailed me out of the blue last month to warn me about travel because they knew I travel internationally for work sometimes.
He told me he had tried going on vacation in Mexico. After getting off the plane, he was detained at the airport by armed guards, questioned, his luggage searched, his computer and camera taken somewhere presumably to be scanned, and then he was told he could not enter the country and had to return to the U.S. Nothing illegal was found in the searches, and the reason he was given for being denied entry was vague but something that alluded to his past and a “warning” from the U.S.
So he was forced on a plane home, flew to LAX and then was detained, searched and questioned again!! He said that when he told the customs neanderthals at LAX that he didn’t even leave the airport in Mexico their response was “were you alone with any children while you were at the airport”.
This poor guy wasted a lot of money on plane tickets to fly somewhere, be violated and harassed for a couple hours, forced to return before being allowed to set foot out of the airport just to be harassed and violated all over again here.
I don’t recall the details of his original offense, but I know it is well over a decade old and he got probation and not prison.
It is so out of control, I am afraid to travel even though I received a COR and no longer have to register, I’m sure once your in the “system” you are never truly removed completely from it.
We NEED to challenge these things in court before every country is doing what the Philippines and Mexico are doing.
My thought: Anyone who is denied entry to a country should fill out an intake form with the ACLU to challenge these “alerts” the U.S. is sending out. If the ACLU gets enough complaints from ex-offenders, perhaps they will take action.
Another angle of this – I sometimes have to travel internationally for work, and so do others. This has the potential to get people fired and ruin their careers, perhaps there could be some legal recourse there?
I still think we could use this as more evidence that registration IS punishment.
It is! I feel bad for your friend. This is absurd ! I plead to a wobbler (nothing to do with children) 18 years ago and received summary probation ! Charges dismissed/expunged! Now, I was about to visit Mexico for a free cruise (work related), but I declined because of what I’ve read in the past on this site. I’ve visited Canada several times , but I’m always detained when arriving back to the US. This is terrible. I’ve paid my debt to society, the charges have all been dismissed and I’m continuing to have to pay ? I was about to visit PI in a month to visit family , but do I really want to pay all that money to possibly be turned back? Mexico and PI are some of the most corrupt countries in the world. So, it’s almost funny to see they are being so stringent. This really has to stop. This is a serious reason on why California needs to change their laws and not continue to hold misdemeanor convictions with summary probation to remain on the registry for life ! It’s absurd !
This is born of that new world order BS.
JB, I’ve never had any issues visiting Canada. I visited Vancouver about. 6 months ago via car. I was lead or given the impression only Felons are prohibited? I also visited PI last year, Costa Rica, Cayman Islands and a variety of other destinations. When coming into the US via Florida, the supervisor came up (when I was detained ) and stated , this is ancient history , have a good day. Coming back to the US via car , I was detained , stopped and they where very professional and simply checked a computer and sent on my wAy. Now, coming back in LAX, most of the individuals don’t know the laws, they are unprofessional and let me go . I just complied and ignored their ignorance
One potential legal way to challenge this: the Equal Protection Clause. I believe what the US is doing is to notify of any registrant. But that means someone convicted in California of a misdemeanor, say indecent exposure, will be subject to this notification, but someone convicted in New Jersey of the exact same offense will not be subject to this notification simply because NJ does not make people convicted of indecent exposure register. The result is unequal federal treatment of people similarly situated.
Again, this is similar to what I have advocated to, rather than go for tiers that continue to make all the offenses California requires to register to continue to register, instead take a simpler approach and simply conform to federal. In that case, only the offenses thee federal government requires to register would remain on the registrable list. This would also serve to take all those now unregistered people out of this travel notification.
I do not think we should stop there — absolutely not. Even those people who found relief from that should continue the fight — you are the people with the experience, the only ones to really understand. Once we conformed to federal, all of us should then take the fight to challenge the federal laws on this. But while we are bogged down at the state level, we can’t do that in any meaningful way. We simply must confirm California to federal, so we can then fight federal.
I’ve been to Canada 3 times ? I’ve never had any issues . My ordeal took place. 18 years ago / wobbler and reduced to a misdemeanor in 2000 and expunged in. 2002? Battery and summary probation/ not child related ? I still get stopped coming back into the US?
I have to concur with JB. Since 1947 is silly. You can kill someone and get more freedoms then sex offenders. So, the idea of someone having to register, be banned from parks/libraries/beaches, being fired from their job (one man worked near the ocean), being humiliated and harassed anytime you come back into the US from International Travel, being banned from traveling to other countries is just plain crazy. I plead to my incident 18 years ago, all charges expunged and had summary probation. Yet, I’m still treated like America’s Most wanted. Its nuts.
Guys, I’m not sure why, but I’ve had no issues visiting Canada? I’m not sure why. My charge wasn’t child related and it has been expunged years back? I had summary probation as well? In summary, when I flew out of Canada, US Customs are right there and I believe they ran me and just let us go/very professional. WHen I drove (we drove into Canada as well/twice), the US Customs stopped us, where very polite, ran me and we where on our way. So, I really have no idea why I’m allowed into Canada? Offense/ Summary Probation? I’m really not sure
My husband won a trip to Costa Rica.
I am a SO off the registry. I don’t need to report travel to anyone.
Will the Costa Rican government know about my SO (child related) even if I’m off the registry?
The only reference I can find says ‘No sex offenders until 50 years have passed’. ( effectively a lifetime ban)
But is that REGISTERED offender?
I don’t want to go if it may cause me to be turned back and embarrassment to those traveling with me.
Countries so far that have RSO travel restrictions are (total/some extent): UK, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, Philippines, and now Brazil. Mexico appears to send nearly all registrants back, even misdemeanors. This includes layovers/connections.
Thank you, JB.
I have a paper from my state ending my registration. But I haven’t traveled internationally since being off the list.
I really don’t want to fly to Costa Rica only to be turned back – but I don’t want to miss the trip if I wouldn’t be.
All I can find is a generic statement that it is ‘sex offenders’ but many use that term to mean registered.
I am reluctant to call the consulate because I’m not sure they will do anything more than take my name and flag me making it 100% I can’t enter.
I am half tempted to take a quick trip down to Mexico and see what happens – but no one knows what Mexico is using to determine who they turn back either?
Thanks, everyone!
I am in country-locked Midwest but follow CA rulings closely since your group seems to wield the most power.
I mentioned traveling out of country to test but that would be costly and lengthy for me.
The decision will have to be made soon on whether I attempt it or not and I will report back on the results.
I am past SORNAs limits for my tier so I hope the travel restrictions wouldn’t apply once tiered out?!
In my state restrictions are written for all sex offenders – residency, parks, forest preserves, bike paths, etc, are off limits even when registering stops.
Part of me wishes all states would wipe clean all these separate laws about SOs and adopt one standard law (or none at all but that’s a pipe dream).
I’d like to see the ability to at least travel from state to state for 7-14 days without worry.
It is frustrating to waste everyone’s time for a 36 hour business trip.
Vent over.
Does anyone know what crimes end up in the Interpol database?
Or how I can tell if I’m there?
The Philippines as many other countries have always had laws regarding Moral Turpitude and denying entry into any country for such crimes. Most never checked records as the system did not work that way regarding visa’s, but with pressure from the United states and there witch hunt against RSO’s the united states is now pressuring other countries or providing the “info” and now these countries are enforcing there laws already in the books. However I was denied entry in the Philippines on Feb 6th 2013 and sent back home. I hired a lawyer from the Philippines and proved with a letter from a certified SOTP that I was ‘No Threat to society” Commissioner Siegfred Mison approved my re-entry to visit my wife, on June 5th 2014 I entered the philippines and stayed for 3 months. There laws protect the Family and over ruled the United states demands for the witch hunt…Good Luck to you All, hold your head up and keep fighting these Hateful, self rigtheous hypocrites.
I think once the door has been cracked, people will find a way. There is a reason so many of us have relationships with Filipinas, its because they don’t judge! They forgive and just want a better life. I hope all of you can find a partner who will forgive, understand, and love you for the person you are now. That is my wish to everyone in 2015!
Ironically, Carson has the highest concentration of filipino-American lawyers in the United States. That said, there are probably a lot of lawyers whom would have more insights into travelling to the Philippines with a record and/or registration. At least they can provide more information for hiring a Philippines-based lawyer such as Mark did.
Having just heard from a friend of mine in the Philippines about the new law,I am deeply saddened by the thought of never being able to go see my son.has anyone direct Lee contacted the immigration department in the Philippines on their particular concern of travel. Is it possible that they review on a case-by-case basis in giving supported documents recommendations etc.
If a person would look at facts, they would realize that most countries that do not allow sex offenders, will not allow ANY felons. When traveling, your background is checked. To prevent being turned back at the destination, check with the embassy of you destination prior to travel.
I just went to the Philippines on 3/17/2015 and was turned away at immigration and forced to return to the USA. After traveling over 25 hours to get to the Philippines only to be forced to turn around and travel another 25 hours is a bit much. Not to mention the lost hotel reservations and additional costs incurred. Oddly enough, I had entered the Philippines, on 7/1/2014 with no problem. I even applied for and received my NBI which is police clearance in order to get work in Manila if I would have found a job. Good thing I didn’t because I am sure at some point I would have traveled abroad and had all my belongings in Manila and not been able to retrieve them. I renewed my tourist visa and had the ACR card, staying just over 7 months, before returned to the States. Side note if you stay for over 6 months in the Philippines you must then get special clearance to leave. Since I was not informed of this, I was actually stopped from leaving the Philippines at the airport and had to spend another week in order for this requirement to be met. They take fingerprints and do I am guessing research to make sure nothing is pending either financially or legally before you leave. Unfortunately, I had not researched any such restrictions into the Philippines as I had never heard of such. My travels have taken me to Shanghai China where I worked for 2 1/2 years in the past 5 years. Two trips to Bangkok for China, Venezuela, Peru, and Saudi Arabia for 10 months of work. This is a big wake up call for me because I was planning to visit New Zealand and Australia having no idea of these restrictions, but did not schedule those trips. I agree that tomorrow any country can change their decision to use or not use a SOR to deny entry so any international travel is a risk. My case that requires I register was in 1988 in a state other than California, from deferred adjudication. Getting expunged is pointless with the registration requirements now in place. I also worked in Canada so long ago that it is irrelevant, but at that time was flown back to the states every single weekend. A couple of times I was stopped for secondary inspection but just waved through once the person saw the data.