24 Filipinos have been deported from the United States for their alleged involvement in “criminal activities,” Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez said on Sunday, January 26.
Romualdez said in a TeleRadyo Serbisyo interview that the Philippine Embassy has monitored “around 24 Filipinos” who have been deported from the U.S., saying that the embassy and Homeland Security are coordinating to ensure that the deported Filipinos are safe and not “aggravated.”
He also clarified that the deportation of the 24 was processed under the Biden administration. “Bago pa umupo si President Trump, na-process na ‘yan and they already deported them,” he said. Meanwhile, 80 more Filipinos await deportation.
Separately, the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. also said on Monday, January 27, that 15 Filipino nationals were in the custody of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), awaiting deportation. One more Filipino immigrant is in ICE custody with a pending case.
According to the ambassador, most of the Filipinos slated for deportation have only committed “petty crimes,” but Homeland Security mainly targets gangs. He said that while footage of immigrants being deported on cargo planes has gone viral, Filipino immigrants have only been deported on commercial flights and that the cargo planes are reserved for immigrants with more “serious” offenses.
He also explained that the mass deportation plan, part of the raft of executive orders Trump signed on January 20, involves deporting the 1.3 million immigrants who have already been processed for deportation.
Romualdez added that some employers are helping undocumented Filipino workers secure legal status in the U.S. “Their employer can actually sponsor them. Pero ‘yong mga iba na pumasok dito as tourist, medyo mahihirapan sila,” he said. “Kaya lagi namin ina-advise sa kanila na kumuha sila ng tamang abogado.” He also said that there are many Filipino-American lawyers volunteering at the consulate to help undocumented workers.