PH consuls, immigration lawyers to meet on plight of undocumented Filipinos in US - Romualdez
Metro Manila, Philippines— Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez said Philippine consuls will meet with immigration lawyers and Filipino communities next month to address concerns on the plight of undocumented Filipinos under the looming strict immigration policy of the incoming Trump administration.
“President Marcos gave clear instructions to me: Do what you can to help our fellow Filipinos who are there in the United States that will be affected by this new immigration policy,” Romualdez said in an interview with NewsWatch Plus on Wednesday, Nov. 20.
The meeting will take place in the first or second week of December in Washington, D.C.
“We will precisely discuss this particular issue. We are also going to be asking some of our friends in the legal community, Filipino-Americans who are quite familiar with them, who are immigration lawyers and get them to give us an idea,” said Romualdez.
He said the incoming Trump administration has yet to reveal the specific details of its immigration plans.
“But it's important for us to find out first clearly exactly kung ano itong immigration policy ng Trump administration and its implications on who could possibly have a legal path towards staying here legally in the United States,” said Romualdez.
[Translation: But it’s important for us to first understand clearly what the Trump administration’s immigration policy is and its implications for those who may have a legal path to stay in the U.S.]
Romualdez reiterated his advice to undocumented Filipinos.
“Lagi kong sinasabi sa ating mga kababayan na kung meron silang legal path, there is a way to be able to do something about it. Pero pag wala talaga, ang advice ko sa kanila is better to voluntarily leave rather than be deported dahil pag ma-deport ka, talagang hindi ka na makakabalik dito,” said Romualdez.
[Translation: I always tell our countrymen that if they have a legal path, there is a way to address it. But if there’s none, my advice is to voluntarily leave rather than be deported because if you are deported, you will not be able to return.]
The Department of Migrant Workers said it is prepared to assist around 370,000 undocumented Filipinos who could be affected by the illegal immigration crackdown.
During Trump’s previous term from 2017 to 2020, an average of 300,000 undocumented immigrants were deported each year. Among them, more than 3,500 were Filipinos, with the highest number, 503, recorded in 2018.
