Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Friday called on the Philippine Embassy in the United States to look into the status of all Filipinos being detained due to immigration issues by American authorities and ensure that they have access to legal representation.

Escudero lamented the reported 20 Filipinos who have been arrested and detained in the United States due to the ongoing crackdown on illegal immigrants put in place by the Trump administration.

“It is unclear why the Filipinos were arrested and what the nature of their violations were. We are calling on our embassy in Washington D.C. and our consulates across the US to regularly check on their status and ensure their rights are protected and that they are being treated fairly,” he said.

Escudero said the Philippine government should provide assistance to the Filipinos.

“Our government representatives in the US need to be on top of the situation and see to it that there are no illegal detentions involved,” he said.

He also stressed the need for the families of the detained Filipinos to be updated about the immigration status of their relatives.

“We all need the assurance that they are in good condition,” he emphasized.

Further, Escudero also appealed to Filipinos staying in the US without proper documents and those who are awaiting their green cards to work with immigration lawyers if necessary to avoid arrest or detention.

“Sundin lang natin ang mga batas doon at kusa na lumapit sa ating embahada at konsulado para malaman nila kung ano ang mga hakbang na pwede nilang gawin para maresolba ang kanilang sitwasyon,” he said.

(Let us follow their local laws and voluntarily approach our embassy and consulate to find out what steps they can take to resolve their situation.)

There are more than four million Filipino-Americans who are active, contributing citizens in the US, making significant impacts in their respective fields.

Citing government estimates, Escudero said there are 250,000 to 300,000 undocumented Filipinos in America.