📷 US Jose Manuel “Babes” Romualdez
Filipinos residing illegally in the United States are advised not to wait for deportation as President-elect Donald Trump will deport all immigrants in the United States, Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel “Babes” Romualdez said on Friday, November 8.
In an online forum hosted by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP), Romualdez said there is a 99 percent chance that Filipino illegal immigrants cannot come back to the US once deported.
“My advice to many 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. I can see that President Trump’s administration is really going to be very strict with the immigration policy that he intends to put in place because that is the promise he made to the American public,” Romualdez said.
“[They] can never come back to the United States. At least, if [they] leave, there is always the opportunity or a chance that [they will] be able to file,” Romualdez added.
According to data from the US Department of Homeland Security, Filipinos represented the fifth-largest unauthorized immigrant population in the US, totaling 350,000 in 2022.
Romualdez cautioned that Filipinos cannot keep evading authorities, as information sharing among US agencies is now much simpler.
Hence, Romualdez said Filipinos illegally residing in the US could seek assistance from the Department of Migrant Workers attaché at the Philippine Embassy in Washington. However, he emphasized that the “only assistance” they can offer is “to provide advice.”
“If they have a potential roadblock to be able to stay in the United States legally, then we tell them to get the right person to help you– a lawyer or whoever it is– and start the process. But if there is none, it’s clear that there’s only one way so that you will have a chance to be able to apply legally but do not allow yourselves to be deported,” Romualdez said.
In his victory speech, Trump reiterated his commitment to closing US borders and enforcing stricter laws against illegal immigrants as the President-elect wants to prioritize America first.
Trump added that he wants people to return and come in legally. (TCSP)
