Relatives of Filipino World War II veterans will now face challenging times ahead as United States President Donald Trump puts an end for a veterans program reuniting them with their family.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced last week that it will cease to implement the Filipino World War II veterans parole program in compliance with Trump’s border security and immigration policy.
The US Immigration however clarifies that it will consider applications for those with urgency or ‘humanitarian’ reasons.
Under the parole program family members of war veterans can stay in the United States while waiting for their immigrant visas.
“Individuals can skip the lines and bypass the channels established by Congress. With the termination of these programs, these individuals will no longer be permitted to wait in the United States for the family green card to be available,” the USCIS said in a statement.
Records show that there at least 6,000 Filipino war veterans in the United States.