The Trump administration’s new immigration policy is likely to affect at least 300,000 Filipinos in the United States, Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. has pointed out.
President Duterte is likely to discuss the issue with US President Donald Trump at a possible later date, Inquirer quoted Yasay as saying.
Separately, Yasay stressed that President Trump’s immigration policy was a domestic matter for the US government and that Manila would not interfere, reported GMA news channel’s “News to Go.”.
“We are only concerned with the implementation of this as it would affect Filipinos,” he reportedly said. “We would like to make sure that if it is implemented, I understand it might affect at least 300,000 or so Filipinos in the US, we are already prepared to assist these Filipinos as far as their needs are concerned, particularly in legal assistance, defending claims to remain in the US and not be subject to deportation.”
“We want to make sure the rights of Filipinos [who] could be subject to deportation would have the support of the Philippine government to the fullest,” he added.
There was a slight tension in US-Philippines relations in the final days of the Obama administration, which had been critical of alleged rights abuses under President Duterte’s war on drugs. But the Filipino leader later toned down his criticisms, in deference to Trump, whom he said praised his efforts, the report said.
“President Duterte has also said that we would be working even more thoroughly and vigorously toward and building from this close relationship,” Inquirer quoted Yasay as saying.
