Fate of Pinoy illegals in US up for discussion among PH diplomats

Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez —Gabriel P. Lalu/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine diplomats in the United States are preparing for the possible mass deportation of around 300,000 undocumented Filipino immigrants under the incoming Trump administration, with a “planning session” in December set to tackle the next steps.

“That’s one of our top priorities. All the consulates here in America, we’ll be gathering in Washington DC to discuss how we’ll go about it,” Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez said in a dzBB interview on Monday.

The Philippines has consulates in Agana, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco, according to the website of the Philippine Embassy in Washington DC.

READ: How Trump’s mass deportation plan will impact undocumented Filipinos

Romualdez said they were also awaiting instructions from the Department of Migrant Workers, Department of Foreign Affairs, and Malacañang on how they could assist the undocumented Filipino immigrants once President-elect Donald Trump implements America’s stricter immigration policies.

Out of more than four million Filipinos and Filipino Americans in the United States, an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 are supposedly up for deportation, according to Romualdez.

Better option

He explained that there were Filipinos who entered the country legally through exchange or consular programs but have now become illegal since their permission to stay had expired.

Coming home to the Philippines voluntarily was the better option, Romualdez said, as they could get a better chance to return to the United States and get legal status there since they were not deported.

For those who still wanted to stay, he warned them to seek help from real lawyers and not turn to advisers who might exploit their current situation.

According to Romualdez, the transition team of Trump has announced that upon taking office on Jan. 20, 2025, the American president would immediately work on immigration and economic policies.

“My advice to Filipinos, especially the undocumented, is if they really don’t have a pathway on the possibility of being here legally, they better go home first because if they get deported, they won’t be able to come back here,” Romualdez said.

Campaign promise

Trump promised a sweeping overhaul of US immigration policy and his campaign capitalized on rising public discontent regarding immigration and border security, framing their plans as a necessary response to what Trump described as a national crisis.

In a speech in December 2023, Trump said that migrants coming into the United States were “poisoning the blood of our country.”

Trump is also expected to move quickly to rescind the Biden administration’s programs that have relied on executive authority to dramatically expand opportunities for migrants to live and work temporarily in the United States.

More than 500,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela have been allowed to enter the country lawfully under Biden.

Trump’s proposal included using the military for immigration enforcement by invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 and the Insurrection Act. —with a report from Inquirer Research