MANILA, February 23 ------ The Department of Migrant Workers on Monday said the Philippine government is ready to assist Filipinos who may be affected by the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigrants.
DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said that while there has been no mass deportation of illegal Filipino migrants in the US, the DMW is constantly coordinating with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Philippine Embassy in Washington on the matter. "First of all kailangan lang nating iclarify na walang mass deportation sa ngayon, we don’t want to instill fear sa mga kababayan natin. We are working closely with the DFA and our consulates all over the states para mamonitor ang situation," Cacdac said. "Sa ngayon walang deportation na nangyayari, but the DMW stands ready 'yung mga nabanggit na action fund, one action command, lahat 'yan will come into play once an OFW requires repatriation, whether in the United States or elsewhere," he added.
Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez earlier said that some 350,000 Filipinos are illegally staying in the US. US President Donald Trump began his second term in office with a series of announcements intended to drastically reduce the number of migrants entering the United States. He vowed to immediately halt "all illegal entry" and begin the process of deporting "millions and millions of criminal aliens."
Given Trump's directive, Romualdez admitted that illegal Filipino aliens who have had criminal records may be in danger of getting deported.
Source: news.abs-cbn.com
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