5 Filipinos apprehended by US immigration
REDWOOD CITY - Filipinos are also being swept up in their Southern California homes as the immigration debates continue from the border to Capitol.
The Philippine consulate has verified that between June 7 to 14, five Filipinos had been apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Two were part of a 3-day operation that swept up 162 people, most of which ICE has described as criminal aliens.
While details of the arrests remain limited, the Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) has been monitoring some of the cases and has been in contact with one of the detainees.
“Our members have reported that one caregiver in Covina was also arrested and then the other one in Panorama City was also arrested in front of his house while he’s going to his car,” said PWC's Lolit Andrada Lledo.
Lledo said the Filipino arrested in Panorama City has lived in the US for around 17 years. He was at one time a victim of a notary fraud but has had legal work permits.
“The family was surprised because they have work permits while their case is pending so they do not know why he was arrested and in front of his house. They did not knock on the door,” said Lledo.
A second case they’ve discovered prior to the 3 day-long ICE sweeps that began on June 9 involved a Filipino caregiver arrested at his apartment in Covina.
He opted for self-deportation.
While PWC monitored at least 3 cases in the past year that resulted to self deportation, Lledo said joining a group like theirs can help build a community that could rally for detained Filipinos while linking them to lawyers and informing them of their rights.
“For those that have families living with their children here, they really need to prepare because if they’re arrested, who would take care of their kids? You should have done special power of attorney so someone can take care [of them] otherwise your kids would be put in foster care and it would be hard for you to get them,” she added.
Lledo said she’s expecting immigration enforcements to increase.
“These are the crucial months July, August, September. Three months because they’re trying to meet their quota. That’s what I observed. Heightened ICE raids and arrest like June,” she said.
The latest Department of Homeland Security data shows that in 2016, DHS arrested 263 Filipinos and removed 261 of them.
Less than half had criminal records.
According ICE statistics, the agency has 182 Philippine nationals in 2017.
Lledo said that of the two Filipino cases they’ve followed, they have not seen any prior criminal records.
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