THE Department of Foreign Affairs yesterday said no undocumented Filipinos have been arrested yet since the Trump administration started its crackdown on illegal immigrants in the United States.
DFA Undersecretary Eduardo Jose De Vega said the Filipinos who were earlier deported to Manila had been detained and under the custody of the US authorities before Trump took office as the 47th US President last month with a promise to go after illegal immigrants.
“Zero pa rin. At least as far as we know. Since President Trump took office on January 20, we have no record of any undocumented Filipino being arrested and detained for deportation,” De Vega said when asked for an update on the issue.
Last month, Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez said two dozen Filipinos who were allegedly involved in illegal activities were deported to Manila. Romualdez did not say when they were flown out of the US.
He added they were involved in illegal activities but not serious criminal acts.
De Vega said another Filipino was deported last January 30 but said “it was an ongoing case since last year.”
The DFA official said as of now, deportations are being conducted by US authorities against undocumented foreigners with criminal records or pending criminal cases.
Romualdez said his office is now coordinating with Filipino-American lawyers from the Filipino American Legal Defense and Education Fund (FALDEF) to provide pro bono legal assistance to any Filipino who might be affected by the anti-immigration drive of the Trump administration.
Earlier, Romualdez advised Filipinos illegally staying in the US to return to Manila and not wait to be deported by US authorities, or work to legalize their stay.
He said that once they are deported, there is a big chance they won’t be able to return to the US.
But he expressed optimism that Filipinos who have yet to get their papers but are legally working in the US may have a chance to get their documents.
American authorities have said there are at least 300,000 Filipinos illegally staying in the US, making them the fifth largest group of undocumented immigrants.
There are over 4.6 million Filipinos in the US, according to records.
Trump has designated illegal immigration as a national emergency and directed the Pentagon to bolster security in the country’s borders, particularly the one with Mexico.