THE DEPARTMENT of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Wednesday said that about 69 Filipino migrants are in the custody of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) amid the American government’s immigration crackdown.
“So far, the information ICE has given us is that there have been about 69 are now under process, and we are providing legal assistance,” Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo A. de Vega told the Senate panel on Migrant Workers.
He added that a total of 23 Filipinos have been deported from the US, following the government’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
The US government began targeting undocumented immigrants and restricting legal pathways for migration, following the start of US President Donald J. Trump’s second term. Some immigrants were also reportedly transferred away from their county of origin.
The committee was holding an inquiry into the issues faced by Filipino migrant workers, including potential deportation, abuse cases, human trafficking.
During the hearing, Senator Erwin T. Tulfo asked the DFA if Filipinos have been sent to other countries, like El Salvador.
“Can’t you or haven’t you tried to tell ICE or its Department of Homeland Security, [that] if you catch any Filipinos, can you contact us because we will just send them home and not take them somewhere, to El Salvador?” Mr. Tulfo asked.
Mr. De Vega assured the Senate panel that no Filipinos have been deported to other countries.
“There has been deportation, but all of them were to the Philippines. None of them were sent to other countries,” he said.
He added that the Manila and Washington have an internal agreement that informs the country when a Filipino in the US is facing potential deportation.
“We have an internal agreement with the US. Every time they arrest a Filipino, not just for deportation, even in criminal cases, the government should be informed,” Mr. De Vega added.
Additionally, Senator Rafael T. Tulfo, who chairs the committee, called on the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to monitor overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in their host countries to prevent abuses.
“It goes back to the monitoring. I don’t know who’s lacking — DMW or OWWA,” he said.
“Today, we will address that problem because if we don’t, when the budget hearing comes, I’m sorry, I might have to hold back your budget first.”
He also urged the agencies to properly verify the contracts of OFWs especially employer’s background, security assessment of the place of deployment and strict compliance by foreign employer of contract terms and conditions.
Mr. Tulfo said that the DMW should forge more bilateral agreements with host countries that will only provide favorable terms to our OFWs.
He also called to strengthen efforts to secure backdoor channels to “put an end to the trafficking of migrant workers,” along with “continue efforts to apprehend and penalize illegal recruiters, both here and abroad.” — Adrian H. Halili