Around 350K overstaying Filipinos in US face deportation — PH envoy

MANILA, Philippines — Some 350,000 overstaying Filipinos in the United States are currently facing deportation, Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez said Wednesday.

“There are about 350,000 Filipino who have been overstaying here in the United States [who] are on hold,” Romualdez said in an interview over ABS-CBN News Channel. “They’re in court right now, deportation court.”

Despite such numbers, Romualdez pointed out that the Filipino community in the US has a “very good” image.

“We are known as good workers and so, quite honestly, both Democrats and the Republicans have been very kind to a certain extent to Filipinos,” the ambassador said.

“There’s very little Filipinos involved in any kind of crime,” he added.

Further, Romualdez said there are a “good number” of Filipinos who are on the frontline of the COVID-19 response of the US, which has the highest number of infections in the world.

“They are very much appreciated,” the Filpino diplomat said.

“When I speak with many of the US senators, both Democrats and Republicans, we don’t agree on many issues that they throw our way, but we end up agreeing on one thing: They like the Filipino community here in the United States,” he added.

EDV