The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has asked Israel for the “orderly and benignant” treatment of dozens of Filipino mothers and their children who face deportation from Israel.
The DFA acknowledged that Filipino workers “have a responsibility to observe the immigration laws” of their host country.
According to news reports, Israeli immigration authorities have arrested dozens of Filipino workers with expired permits, as well as their children.
The workers were told that they would be deported in July or August.
According to the DFA, there are about 30,000 Filipino workers, mostly caregivers, in Israel.
The children were born and raised in Israel and have never visited the Philippines. Migrant workers are not allowed to bring their families to Israel.
Previously, Filipinos who gave birth in Israel were allowed to remain there with their children until the expiration of their work permits. Some of the children were eventually granted residency.
In spirit of friendly ties
Leslie Baja, the assistant foreign secretary for Middle East and African affairs, raised the deportation issue with Gilad Cohen, the deputy director general for Asia and the Pacific of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who visited the country recently for bilateral consultations with Philippine officials.
Baja requested Cohen, in the spirit of friendly relations between the Philippines and Israel, to treat overstaying migrant workers “in an orderly and benignant manner, specially since children may be involved,” the DFA said in a statement. —DONA Z. PAZZIBUGAN