We are committed to help Filipinos within legal parameters

As usual, there are those unscrupulous, opportunistic people engaged in the law profession who are coming forward pretending to be do-gooders but in reality are just trying to take advantage of the situation to promote themselves or their “legal” business – capitalizing on the “fear factor” that people are experiencing.

These people are stupidly and dangerously trying to undermine the efforts that our Philippine consulates are doing to help those who are affected by the new immigration policy of the Trump administration. Ironically, we are even being accused of creating panic because we have been giving the sound advice for those affected to leave voluntarily IF there is no legal path – especially for those who came into the United States illegally or overstayed on a tourist visa.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt said during his first inaugural address: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” If people allow fear to take over, it can make them even more vulnerable as well as susceptible to those who just want to take advantage of their situation in the guise of concern.

Filipinos who are “tago ng tago” or TNT – a euphemism for illegal immigrants hiding from authorities – should start seeking legal advice and reach out to those organizations that are truly concerned in helping with their plight. But as I have repeatedly stressed on many occasions, the best and most practical advice we can give to undocumented Filipinos is to seek a legal path – for their peace of mind.

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is continuing to work closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and the Department of Labor and Employment for a whole-of-government support system for Filipinos who will be impacted by the immigration policy of President Donald Trump – especially those who are undocumented or have no legal status in the United States.

Estimates place the number of undocumented Filipino immigrants in the US at 350,000 (although the DMW puts the number higher at 370,000), and among the support mechanisms being put into place for possible deportees include financial and legal assistance as well as job retooling and employment facilitation in coordination with agencies such as the National Reintegration Center for OFWs, Department of Trade and Industry and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

According to Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, the government is ready to assist Filipinos who will be affected by the Trump administration’s massive crackdown on illegal immigrants, citing the previous large-scale deportation of undocumented Filipino workers from Malaysia.

It can be recalled that in 2018, the Malaysian government implemented a crackdown against undocumented migrants, affecting an estimated 400,000 Filipinos who had no legal immigration status. During that time, the government encouraged our undocumented kababayans to take advantage of the voluntary deportation program offered by the Malaysian government rather than risk facing imprisonment or paying penalties.

As Secretary Laguesma noted, there is “convergence” in the efforts of government agencies that have been tasked to provide support to those who will be possibly affected by the Trump administration’s immigration policy.

Definitely, the Philippine embassy in Washington, DC will continue to do what it has always been doing in providing whatever legal advice it can give to Filipinos in the United States, whether they are documented or undocumented. Even before the US presidential election in November last year, one of the first things we did was to evaluate the potential impact of a new immigration policy under a Trump administration.

We also intensified our information campaign on the rights that Filipinos have in the United States regardless of their immigration status through our website, putting together the information obtained from various sources that include the US Department of Labor, migration offices of states and immigration centers. In addition, engagements with relevant US government officials were strengthened to advocate for the rights and welfare of all Filipinos in the US.

We also listed the 24/7 consular emergency hotline numbers for all consulates across the United States, including Agana in Guam. This was followed by a planning and strategy session in Washington, DC with all the consulates general to discuss the next steps in view of the incoming administration’s statements regarding the massive deportation of illegal immigrants. The main target of authorities now are those people with criminal records. However, this should not make those with uncertain legal status complacent.

One very major concern of ours is those who have been in the United States for many years – decades even – and have already established families as well, which is why we have reached out and are working with groups from the Filipino-American community that are prepared to offer support and provide legal advice.

One of them is the Filipino American Legal Defense and Education Fund or FALDEF that is offering legal advice pro bono. Our meeting with the representatives of FALDEF was very productive as we discussed the various challenges that undocumented Filipinos face, with insights on how they can legally stay in the United States.

A major concern is the possibility of our kababayans being detained for a long period of time before they are deported – and this is what we are trying to avoid for them. Let’s not forget, one of the three pillars of our foreign policy is the protection of the rights and the promotion of the welfare and interests of Filipinos overseas, and we at the embassy in Washington, DC – and all Philippine embassies all over the world for that matter – are committed to help Filipinos everywhere.

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