PHILIPPINE consuls in the United States are set to hold a meeting in December to discuss ways to assist thousands of Filipinos facing potential deportation following the election of President-elect Donald Trump, Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez announced on Monday.
Romualdez stated that consuls from Guam, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco will convene at the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. to strategize on how to support undocumented Filipino immigrants who may face deportation as part of Trump’s campaign promises.
“We will certainly seek guidance from our home office, the Department of Migrant Workers, and Malacañang on how we can help them and what our embassy can do,” the ambassador said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview.
Romualdez previously advised Filipinos in the US without legal status to voluntarily return to the Philippines or begin the process of obtaining proper documentation, urging them not to wait for potential deportation if Trump implements his mass deportation plans.
The ambassador warned that once Filipinos are deported, they may face significant difficulties in returning to the US. This has caused considerable anxiety among undocumented Filipinos in the US.
According to data gathered by GMA Integrated News Research, there were 4,640,313 Filipinos in the US as of last year, based on the latest US Census Bureau figures. Additionally, data from the US Department of Homeland Security indicated that Filipinos were the fifth largest unauthorized immigrant population in the US in 2022, with an estimated 350,000 individuals.
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