Senator Raffy Tulfo paid a courtesy call to the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco, California amid the intensified crackdown by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on immigrants and undocumented workers.

The San Francisco Philippine Consulate has jurisdiction over several U.S. states, including Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Northern California, Northern Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Tulfo, who chairs the Senate Committee on Migrant Workers, was received by Consul General Neil Frank R. Ferrer, Deputy Consul General Maria Paz Cortes, and Vice Consul Hannah Eloisse Go.

According to consulate officials, the current immigration situation in their jurisdiction is not a major cause for concern among Filipinos. Only 17 individuals have been detained by ICE, five of whom have already been released, while three have been deported.

Most of those detained are Filipinos with prior convictions. Even if they have already served their sentences, some were arrested at the border or airport when they attempted to re-enter the U.S. This is part of stricter immigration enforcement policies by the Trump administration.

“There is a possibility that Filipino green card holders in the U.S. with prior convictions — even for minor offenses such as traffic violations — may be flagged during routine ID checks,” Tulfo said.

“If found to have derogatory records, they could be turned over to ICE and detained,” he further said.

Despite this, the consulate assured Tulfo that they are ready to provide legal and welfare assistance to detained Filipinos, utilizing the Assistance-to-Nationals (ATN) fund for such cases.

Additionally, the consulate reported that 55 Filipinos with ongoing criminal cases across the states under their jurisdiction are currently detained, with two on death row.

Consul General Ferrer, meanwhile, warned against the spread of fake news, clarifying that dual citizens in the U.S. do not need to renounce their Filipino citizenship to avoid being targeted by ICE. In fact, Senator Tulfo personally witnessed an oath-taking ceremony for Filipinos acquiring dual citizenship during his visit.