A man from Ghana was arrested by police in Taipei this week and is likely to be deported, while his Taiwanese girlfriend appealed to authorities for him to stay, as they have a two-year-old daughter.
The man was arrested in New Taipei City’s Sinjhuang District (新莊) on Wednesday night. The following day, his girlfriend went to the Sinjhuang police station to visit him and plead his case.
A police official said on Thursday that the Ghanaian is in violation of the Immigration Act (入出國及移民法), as he has apparently stayed in Taiwan illegally for more than 10 years and has been transferred to the National Immigration Agency for deportation.
Police said the man came to Taiwan on a 30-day business visa in 2005, but has remained in the country ever since and worked in various manual-labor jobs.
He began a relationship with a Taiwanese woman six years ago and they have since had a child, police said.
The man, 41, said he wanted stay to take care of his girlfriend and their child, and because he loves the friendly people of Taiwan.
Police said the man has settled into Taiwan quite well and is able to converse in Mandarin and Hoklo (also known as Taiwanese).
When approached by the police on the street on Wednesday, he tried to run, police said.
They said the man climbed up building exteriors and evaded officers for some time, but was later cornered on the roof of a three-story house, where he continued to resist arrest.
It took more than four hours of negotiations before he was persuaded to surrender, police said.
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