Filipino community protests Trump's anti-migrant policies, urges support from embassy
(FILES) Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media at the end of the day at Manhattan Criminal Court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments on 22 April 2024 in New York City.
Victor J. Blue - Pool/Getty Images/AFP
Nearly 150 members of the Filipino community and allies from the D.C. metropolitan region gathered on Monday to oppose the incoming Trump administration’s policies.
They joined over 400 protesters under the nationwide banner of We Fight Back, speaking out against the economic hardships, mass deportations, and other challenges they anticipate under a second Trump presidency.
After convening at Meridian Hill Park, the Filipino contingent marched to the Philippine Embassy to denounce alleged collusion between the U.S. and Philippine governments and to demand stronger support for Filipino migrants.
“We will see that [President Ferdinand] Marcos Jr. will continue to intensify militarization in the Philippines,” said Norynne Caleja, of Malaya DC. “We will continue to see the United States bring forth funding for aerial bombings in our peasant communities, in our indigenous lands.”
Education cuts and migrant rights
Filipino American youth at Dupont Circle also condemned proposed cuts to education funding and diversity programs, saying such funds would instead support military efforts abroad. Paolo Estrella of Kabataan Alliance DMV linked these cuts to the education crisis in the Philippines.
“The education system produces low-wage workers for export to be treated as commodities for other nations,” he said. “Because of this, we see millions of Filipinos who left the Philippines to work overseas as migrants in the United States…who will be impacted by the Trump administration and their [plans for] mass deportations.”
Jhong Delacruz of Migrante DMV emphasized the power of grassroots action.
“In every case of back-pay won, every immigration status adjusted, every employer held accountable and even a scheduled execution deferred, it is the people’s movement that achieved these,” he said.
Delacruz also urged the Philippine Embassy to provide greater transparency and support for Filipino migrants while addressing the root causes of forced migration.
The protest was part of the broader We Fight Back coalition, which includes organizations such as the Party for Socialism and Liberation - Washington, DC, the Diaspora Pa’lante Collective, and the Palestinian Youth Movement DMV.