Undocumented Pinoys in US urged to consult with lawyers amid Trump’s latest move vs immigrants

Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez on Sunday reiterated his call for US-based Filipinos who may be affected by the Trump administration’s mass deportation policy to immediately consult with immigration lawyers to know how they can possibly legalize their stay in the country. 

This, as the administration of President Donald Trump recently moved to revoke the temporary legal status of 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans in the United States, effective April 24, 2025.

According to Romualdez, Filipinos in the US who have illegal status have high chances to be included in the deportation list, that’s why they have to get their status fixed.

“Lagi kong sinasabi na 'yung mga Pilipino na medyo ang status ay neither here or there, meaning to say, nagta- trabaho sila, nagbabayad sila ng taxes, pero ‘yung status nila ay hindi klaro, pwede silang pumunta sa immigration lawyer at ngayon pa lang, ayusin na nila at meron silang chance na maging legal ang status nila,” the ambassador said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview. 

(Filipinos here who have a status that is neither here nor there, meaning to say, they work, they pay taxes, but their status is unclear, they can go to an immigration lawyer now as they still have a chance to make their status legal.)

“Kung wala namang chance na maging legal ang status, siguradong one way or the other, malalaman din ng awtoridad dito na kailangan silang umalis sa bayan. Kapag na-deport ka, ‘yan ang sinasabi ko lagi, talagang hindi ka na makakabalik dito,” he added. 

(But if there’s no chance of legalizing their status, surely the authorities here will know one way or the other that they have to leave the country. Once they get deported, they really can't come back to the US.)

In November last year when Trump was reelected president, Romualdez advised Filipinos in the US without "any kind of status" to voluntarily return to the Philippines or start working on their documents, and no longer wait to be deported.

In January, 24 Filipinos in the US who were allegedly linked to illegal activities were flown out of the country as part of Trump’s vow of mass deportation.

Several other undocumented Filipinos have already been deported or are awaiting deportation back to the Philippines. 

Romualdez said that some Filipinos have already been seeking help from the embassy regarding their situation. 

“Kausap natin ang iba nating lawyer na kaibigan, sabi nila, basta't nagta-trabaho ka tsaka nagbabayad ka ng tax, may pag-asa ka. Hindi naman malaking pag-asa, pero merong pag-asa na pwede kang hanapan ng ligal na status,” he said. 

(We're talking to some of our lawyer friends, they said that as long as you work and pay taxes, you have chances. It's not a big chance, but you can possibly find a way to legalize your status.) 

The Philippine Embassy is providing assistance to undocumented Filipinos through immigration lawyers who offer legal advice and outline available options for them. —RF, GMA Integrated News