Help Pinoys facing U.S. deportation, Risa urges

The Philippine government should exert all efforts to help Filipinos facing deportation from the United States, Senator Risa Hontiveros said Friday.

Hontiveros made the call as the US government has intensified deportations following the Trump administration’s order.

“The Philippine government has an obligation to protect all Filipino nationals, wherever they are in the world. If there are Filipinos who will be deported back to the Philippines, the government should be prepared to receive and support them,” she said in a statement.

The senator called on the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. and the consulates to allot an appropriate budget, through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of Migrant Workers, in preparation for the possible repatriation of Filipinos.

The statement comes after Hontiveros met with leaders of the Asia Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), who shared the plight of Filipinos at risk of being removed from the US.

APALA highlighted that Filipinos in the US, particularly those without proper documentation, could still avail of remedies under US immigration laws. However, their lack of access to appropriate legal assistance may result to their being deported without due process.

“Let us not allow our fellow Filipinos in America to be abused. Their rights under US immigration laws should be made known to them, and the Philippine government should help them exercise those rights,” Hontiveros said.

“It is the constitutional duty of the Philippines to safeguard the welfare and well-being of overseas Filipinos. At a time when threats and intimidation against foreigners in America are rampant, I hope our government does not turn its back on our fellow Filipinos,” she added.

According to Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez, between 60 and 80 Filipinos are currently in the process of being deported from the US.

According to Romualdez, at least 24 undocumented Filipinos have been deported since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January and implemented his mass deportation plan.