Senate President Francis ‘Chiz’ G. Escudero has called on the Philippine Embassy in the United States to look into the status of all Filipinos being detained for immigration issues by American authorities and ensure that they have access to legal representation.
According to the Senate President, he is concerned over reports that there are 20 Filipinos who have been arrested and detained in the United States due to the ongoing crackdown on illegal immigrants put in place by the Trump administration.
“It is unclear why the Filipinos were arrested and what the nature of their violations were. We are calling on our embassy in Washington D.C. and our consulates across the US to regularly check on their status and ensure their rights are protected and that they are being treated fairly,” he said.
“Our government representatives in the U.S. need to be on top of the situation and see to it that there are no illegal detentions involved. The families of the detained Filipinos should be updated about the status of their kin. We all need the assurance that they are in good condition,” the veteran legislator said.
The Senate chief also appealed to Filipinos staying in the US without proper documents and those who are awaiting their green cards to work with immigration lawyers if necessary to avoid arrest or detention.
“Nakasisiguro ako na marami sa ating mga kababayan sa Amerika na wala pang green card o ‘yung may mga kinahaharap na kaso ay nangangamba dahil sa patuloy na paghahabol ng gobyernong Amerika sa mga dayuhang illegal na nanatili doon,” Senate President Escudero said. “Sundin lang natin ang mga batas doon at kusa na lumapit sa ating embahada at konsulado para malaman nila kung ano ang mga hakbang na pwede nilang gawin para maresolba ang kanilang sitwasyon.”
There are over four million Filipino-Americans who are productive citizens of the U.S. and provide significant contributions in their respective fields. Government estimates also show that there are 250,000 to 300,000 undocumented Filipinos in America.