Filipinos illegally staying in the United States have been advised to voluntarily leave the country before President-elect Donald Trump begins his crackdown on undocumented immigrants.
Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez on Friday, Nov. 8, advised Filipinos who cannot get any kind of status yet not to wait to be deported.
"Because I can see that the administration of President Trump is really going to be very strict with the immigration policy that he intends to put in place," Romualdez said at the press conference hosted by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) on Friday, Nov. 8.
His warning came two days after Trump was called to assume the post of outgoing President Joe Biden after securing a comeback following the elections.
Romualdez warned there is no going back for foreign nationals who will be deported.
But if undocumented immigrants voluntarily leave for now, there is always an opportunity for them to file at the right time.
"Just follow the rules and regulations of the country – that's the only way," he said.
Compared to other nationalities, the number of Filipinos illegally staying in the US is lower as the country treats Filipinos, particularly healthcare workers, as essential to their workforce.
That is only one sector that highly regards the Filipino community.
"Because the nurses are so much appreciated, and by every single one of them, from the president of the US all the way down to anyone working that has been able to have a Filipino nurse take care of them or their loved ones," he said.
Romualdez also said he spoke to the governor of Guam, a US territory that is seeking Filipino construction workers because "they are the best."