Gov't urged to brace for possible influx of deported Pinoys from US

The government should prepare to assist undocumented Filipinos in the United States amid the expected mass deportation once US President-elect Donald Trump assumes office in January, a lawmaker said Friday.

In a statement, OFW party-list Representative Marissa Magsino said the reported possibility of mass deportation of 300,000 undocumented Filipinos from the United States "is a source of deep concern."

According to the lawmaker, Filipinos who will be affected by Trump’s mass deportation policy would need comprehensive social safety nets, reintegration programs, and mechanisms for job retooling, re-skilling, and employment facilitation.

"While we acknowledge and respect the right of any sovereign nation to enforce its immigration policies, we cannot ignore the hardship that these deportations will bring to individuals and families who have established their lives and livelihoods in the US," Magsino said.

Magsino added that the programs should ensure that the opportunities available to returning Filipinos are at least comparable to the jobs they may be forced to leave behind in the US.

Philippine Ambassador to the United States Babes Romualdez called on undocumented/unauthorized Filipino immigrants in the US not to wait to be deported and go home as soon as possible. 

Magsino called on the Department of Foreign Affairs to take steps to ensure that due process is fully observed for Filipinos facing deportation, including access to hearings and the right to appeal.

Based on the July 2024 report of Washington, US-based Pew Research Center citing 2022 data, which is its latest available data, four million out of 11 million of undocumented immigrants in the US came from Mexico.

A far second country of origin for undocumented immigrants in the US is El Salvador with 750,000, followed by India with 725,000 and Guatemala with 675,000.

The Philippines ranked 13th out of the top 14 countries of origin of undocumented immigrants with 130,000.

Pew Research Center, according to its website, is a nonpartisan fact tank which "conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis and other data-driven social science research." —KBK, GMA Integrated News