MANILA – The Philippine Embassy in Washington DC has urged undocumented Filipinos in the United States to leave voluntarily following US President-elect Donald Trump’s expected crackdown on illegal immigrants.
According to Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez, 250,000 to 300,000 Filipinos are at risk of being blacklisted or deported should Trump proceed with his promise of mass deportation for undocumented immigrants.
“Some are not considered to be illegal, some already filed, but they are in limbo – meaning to say, they are waiting for their papers to pass through,” Romualdez said in a forum.
“My advice to many of our of our fellowmen who actually are still here but cannot get any kind of status, my advice is for them not to wait to be deported, because I can see that the administration of President Trump is really going to be very strict with the immigration policy that he intends to put in place,” he added.
“Once deported, a foreign national can never return to the US. At least if you leave, there is always the opportunity or the chance that you’d be able to file at the right time. Just follow the rules and regulations of the country – that’s the only way,” he said.
Romualdez, however, said that the Americans continues to regard Filipino healthcare workers as essential to its workforce, saying many health service companies are asking the embassy for ways to increase the number of deployed Filipino nurses.
“That’s one sector that really gives a great image to the Filipino community here because the nurses are so much appreciated, and by every single one of them, from the president of the US all the way down to anyone working that has been able to have a Filipino nurse take care of them or their loved ones,” he said.
Immigration was at the core of Trump’s presidential campaign, promising the reinstatement of border restrictions and the biggest deportation of undocumented migrants in US history.
Trump, 78, recaptured the White House on Wednesday by securing more than the 270 Electoral College votes needed, defeating Democrat presidential candidate Kamala Harris./PN
