RP envoy meets with Pinoys against US immigration reform bill

The Philippine consulate general in New York is encouraging Filipinos in the United States to register their opposition to several immigration reform bills in the US Congress following President George W. Bush’s statement that he was opposed to amnesty or automatic citizenship for some 12 million illegal immigrants.

In a report to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Philippine Consulate General Cecilia Rebong said the consulate sponsored a meeting on Friday at the Philippine Center in New York with the Filipino community to discuss several immigration reform bills that will be up for debate and voting in the US Congress when it resumes session next week.

One of the bills discussed was HR 4437 or "The Border Protection, Anti-Terror, and Illegal Immigration Control Bill," which has been criticized by church groups, immigrant rights advocates and some US legislators as being "anti-immigrant," "anti-Christian" and "anti-human rights."

She explained that the bill’s most controversial aspect is a provision making it a criminal offense for anyone to aid or offer aid to illegal immigrants already in the United States.

"For the first time in US immigration history, the bill also seeks to criminalize immigration offenses, making it legal for any federal, state, or city law enforcement official to arrest and detain aliens without proper papers," Rebong said.

Rebong said attorney Ruben Seguritan, a New York-based Filipino-American lawyer in immigration practice for more than 30 years, led the Filipino community in analyzing the various immigration reform bills.

Seguritan discussed the pros and cons of the "competing immigration reform bills." Some of the measures seek to give illegal immigrants a path to legalize their stay in the United States, while others would make it a crime.

Seguritan also distributed copies of a sample letter to US lawmakers and another of an open letter to President Bush, both urging a rejection of HR 4437, and support of "a comprehensive immigration reform bill that is just, humane and realistic."

He asked the Filipino community to adopt the letters, sign and send them to President Bush and to their respective senators and congressmen.

The US House of Representative passed HR 4437 late last year. Republican Sen. Bill Frist, of Tennessee, introduced a counterpart bill in the Senate last week, and said he would seek a vote on his bill without debate if the Senate judiciary committee is unable to complete and submit its own version of immigration legislation by yesterday.

Meanwhile, the DFA said the Philippine government will make representations with the US government after consolidating the views of the Filipino community on the immigration reform bills.

"We will bring it to Washington but it is still on an ongoing consultation process with Filipinos in the US. We have to consolidate their views. Certainly, the DFA will make representations but we want to consolidate the views of Filipinos and we want to ensure their rights are protected which is our mandate," DFA spokesman Gilberto Asuque said.