Filipinos both in the Philippines and the USA are preparing for Trump's second term as President. His cornerstone proposal is to put a halt to illegal immigration and deport all illegal aliens currently living in the USA. Illegal Filipinos are being urged to self-deport.
The Philippines' ambassador to the United States has called on undocumented Filipino workers there to start the process of obtaining legal status before US President-elect Donald Trump assumes office next year.
With an estimated 250,000 to 300,000 undocumented Filipinos currently in the US, Philippine Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez advised them to immediately seek legal aid or face deportation, which could permanently bar them from re-entry.
Trump secured a return to the White House in a decisive electoral victory earlier this week after leading a campaign that promised "the largest deportation effort in American history."
On Friday, November 8, Trump told NBC News that his administration has "no choice" but to carry out that promise and that it will not have a price tag.
"My advice to many of our fellow men who actually are still here but cannot get any kind of status, my advice is for them not to wait to be deported," Romualdez said in a forum with international and local media on Friday.
The ambassador said it is likely that Trump will proceed with his plans of deporting illegal immigrants en masse. But this will "take a lot of resources," he added.
The increased exchange of information among American immigration authorities now makes it nearly impossible for undocumented individuals to remain undetected, Romualdez said.
He estimated that nine out of 10 "TNTs" (tago nang tago or always hiding) — a term coined for Filipinos abroad who are in hiding or overstaying — "will be discovered at some form or another." Different US departments from immigration to the transportation security administration (TSA) are now interconnected, he added.
"Plus, anybody can just simply send a picture of you or whoever it is to the [US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.] That's the one that goes after illegal immigrants, and then you have a problem," Romualdez said.
The Philippine ambassadors advice to self-deport comes with the caveat "if you cannot get any kind of status." Lucky for all those illegals the Pilipino Worker's Center is holding free legal clinics to educate illegal Filipino aliens of their rights. You see, they can't simply be deported.
The Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) has announced initiatives to support undocumented Filipinos as Donald Trump’s return to the presidency sparks anxiety among immigrant communities.
“(Trump’s) return is causing a lot of anxiety, fear and stress among many in our communities,” said PWC Executive Director Aquilina Soriano Versoza during a virtual post-election town hall Friday night.
“We gather here to prepare to protect and stand strong for our communities, especially the immigrant families.”
PWC announced the launch of a rapid response hotline that undocumented Filipinos can call for deportation defense.
The center will also hold free legal clinics and “Immigration Know Your Rights” trainings, and launch new communications plans “to make sure that our community is able to have up-to-date information.”
Versoza has urged undocumented immigrants “not to panic and self-isolate” and to make sure they are “connected to reliable information.”
She reminded undocumented immigrants that “ICE can’t just deport you…there’s a legal process and that’s why it’s important to connect to legal support.”
Versoza also stressed that undocumented immigrants should not feel they need to voluntarily leave the United States to avoid deportation as “they have rights and don’t need to leave.”
She was reacting to the statement of Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez advising undocumented Filipinos to voluntarily leave the US instead of facing deportation.
“There are real economic reasons why (undocumented immigrants) are here,” she said. “They don’t have to self-deport. There are resources…and pathways to citizenship and we’re ready to support the immigrant community.”
PWC is preparing for their legal advisors “to be paired” with their 24/7 rapid response hotline, Versoza said.
Perla Santos, one of the more than 100 town hall participants, shared that “many of our kababayans are feeling downhearted” in the face of Trump’s mass deportation plan and the shifting immigration policies.
“We’re not liabilities. We are assets,” Santos said, bewailing Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric.
Looks like there is no need for illegal Filipino aliens to panic. The PWC has their back. All they have to do is reach out and grab that lifeline.
Trump's 2nd term is also being seen as bad for remittances. This would seem to be related to the mass deportations of illegal Filipino aliens but this article does not make that very clear.
Remittances to the Philippines and receipts from the business process outsourcing sector could take a hit from US President-elect Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies, while the possibility of diminished security support from Washington could stir up more tensions in the West Philippine Sea, said Japanese investment bank Nomura.
Those are the channels where the Philippines is most vulnerable after Trump won the race to the White House again following a divisive Nov. 5 election.
Zooming out, Nomura said in a commentary that Trump 2.0 will be negative for growth in Southeast Asia, albeit at varying degrees.
“The Philippines does not have a similar cushion and will be at risk from the impact on workers’ remittances from a possible tightening of US immigration policy and on the outsourcing sector,” Nomura said.
“Increased geopolitical tensions in the South China Sea due to the lack of US security support could put the Philippines on the front line. This could be an issue for the broader region, if China’s assertiveness in the disputed waters intensifies,” it added.
There are thousands if not millions of legal Filipinos in the USA working in every sector sending big bucks to the Philippines. What are they worried about exactly. Besides this just goes to show how fake much of the Philippine economy is as it relies so much on remittances.
Senator Escudero is urging the government to prepare for a Trump presidency.
Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Monday urged the national government to start preparing for potential policy shifts in the US with the looming fresh administration of Donald Trump.
Escudero referred to Trump as a “major macroeconomic assumption” that the Philippines must be “one step ahead” because his moves as US president would impact not only Americans but also Filipinos.
He pointed out how Trump has always been transparent about his plans as US president, encouraging the Philippine government to assess his promises and see how they would affect the Philippines.
“From trade to security to immigration, what he said he plans to do, some on day one of his administration, would certainly impact us,” the Senate president stressed.
For one, Escudero pointed out Trump’s commitment to carry out mass deportation of illegal immigrants. The Senate leader noted there are 300,000 undocumented Filipinos in the US.
“How many of the estimated 300,000 vulnerable Filipinos will be in the first wave of expulsion?” Escudero asked.
According to the Senate president, even if the US deported only one percent of the 300,000, it would already require 10 big airplanes.
He also suggested that the national government think about how Trump plans to impose high tariff walls and how it would affect the Philippine economy, especially how almost $1 of every $7 in its economy comes from its trade with the US.
“If because of him the dollar will strengthen, what effect will it have on us if it causes the peso to weaken? The value of our foreign debt is sure to balloon,” Escudero said in mixed Filipino and English.
Escudero further urged the national government to revisit the US-Philippines relations, noting that the alliance was only boosted because of the Biden administration.
“On the security front, will a second Trump administration be hawkish or dovish against China? We must be ready in case they have a new position in Washington,” he said.
“There is no reason for the Philippine government to be caught flatfooted and stand helpless as the ground beneath it caves in,” he added.
Escudero is out of his mind! He's thinking too much about all those illegal Filipino aliens that might be deported calling them "vulnerable." Is he going to stop the Philippines' deportation of illegal aliens who are here to work, most notably the Chinese? Of course not.
As for his questioning as to whether or not Trump will be hawkish or dovish against China, has he listened to a single thing Trump has said? US-Philippine relations weren't boosted becasue of Biden. They were great under Trump who was a good friend of Duterte. He even visited the Philippines in 2017 for the ASEAN meeting. EDCA was signed into law while Trump was President.
Ambassador Romualdez has a different take on Philppine-US relations under Trump.
The Philippines expects U.S. policy in the Indo-Pacific and support for its treaty ally amid South China Sea tensions to remain steady under Donald Trump, driven by bipartisan resolve in Washington, its ambassador to the U.S. said on Thursday.
Both Democrats and Republicans prioritise countering China’s influence, including in the South China Sea, Jose Manuel Romualdez said, suggesting that military cooperation, economic ties and security commitments with the Philippines will continue.
"It is in their interest that the Indo-Pacific region remains free, peaceful and stable, especially given the economic part of it, with trillions of dollars passing through the South China Sea," Romualdez told Reuters in an interview.
U.S.-Philippine security engagements have deepened under President Joe Biden and Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr, with both leaders keen to counter what they see as China's aggressive actions in the South China Sea and near Taiwan.
Marcos said in a congratulatory message after Trump's victory: "I am hopeful that this unshakeable alliance, tested in war and peace, will be a force of good that will blaze a path of prosperity and amity, in the region, and in both sides of the Pacific."
Under Marcos, the Philippines has increased the number of its bases accessible to U.S. forces to nine from five, some facing the South China Sea, where China has built artificial islands equipped with runways and missile systems.
The U.S. has proposed $128 million for infrastructure improvements at those bases, in addition to a $500 million pledge for the Philippine military and coastguard.
Romualdez expressed confidence that these commitments, including joint U.S.-Philippine maritime exercises that began last year, would continue under Trump.
"We have very strong bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress where the money comes from. Every single one of our friends in the Republican side has signified their concern and strong support for whatever we're doing right now in relation to the challenges we face with China today," Romualdez said.
He suggested potential changes under Trump would be "minimal" and could even be favourable.
During Trump's previous term, the U.S. dispelled any doubts about its defence commitments when then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo assured Manila in 2019 that Washington would defend its ally if attacked in the South China Sea, reinforcing the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty.
Beijing claims much of the South China Sea, where about $3 trillion in ship-borne trade passes annually, with the area becoming a flashpoint for Chinese and U.S. tensions around naval operations. There have been recent clashes over territorial claims between China and the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia.
Romualdez emphasized Manila's intent to manage disputes peacefully, and "will continue to dialogue with China as long as it's not detrimental to our interests."
"We're not at war," Romualdez said, adding there are many areas where Philippines and China can work with.
How much more reasonable is Romualdez thats Escudero. It seems Chiz forgot he was a Senator during Trump's first term and everything was fine.
President Marcos has assured the nation PH-US relations will be normal under Trump. After all he did get the overwhelming support of the Filipinos-AM community.
President Marcos said he had personally congratulated US President-elect Donald Trump in a “very friendly and productive” phone call on Tuesday morning, where he expressed his desire to see the Philippine-American alliance enduring under Trump’s second term.
Marcos said he reminded the incoming Republican president that Filipino Americans “overwhelmingly voted for him” and that “I’m sure he will remember that when we see each other.’’
“I expressed to him our continuing desire to strengthen that relationship between our two countries, which is a relationship that is as deep as can possibly be—because it has been for a very long time,” Mr. Marcos said.
“[I]t was a very good call; it was a very friendly call, very productive. And I am glad that I was able to do it, and I think President-elect Trump was also happy to hear from the Philippines.”
The conversation, he said, did not touch on Trump’s immigration policy, a key issue of his campaign that can potentially affect the Fil-Am community.
“We didn’t talk about that. It was just a congratulatory call,’’ he said when asked if the subject came up. “But, of course, our ambassador (to Washington, Jose Manuel Romualdez) is already working on that.”
“The overwhelming support of Filipinos in the United States on your triumphant win is a testament to the deep and enduring friendship between our nations.”
Democrats and liberals in the USA are losing their minds over Trump's election and Filipinos also seem to be losing their minds or are at least being cautious. But there is nothing to worry about. Philippine-US relations were great under Trump. Mass deportation of illegal Filipino aliens won't be so easy and there is legal help available for them. Remittances will likely not change because there are many legal Filipinos slaving away for their deadbeat families in the Philippines. It's very doubtful Trump 2.0 will change the status quo.
