Bill threatens to make it harder for Pinoys to bring parents to US



US-based Filipinos may have a hard time bringing their parents and other relatives there should a new immigration bill backed by US President Donald Trump passes Congress.
The bill, or the proposed Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment (RAISE) Act, seeks to establish a merit or point-based immigration system similar to Australia and Canada.
Introduced by Republican Senators David Perdue and Tom Cotton, RAISE may reduce to half the estimated 1 million immigrants granted lawful permanent residence in the US every year by eliminating some categories for family-sponsored immigration.
Filipino immigration lawyer Lou Tancinco said RAISE may affect some 400,000 Filipinos waiting to be brought to the US by their US-based relatives.
Overstaying or undocumented Filipino immigrants, with or without criminal cases, may also be kicked out of the US, he said.
"Since the executive actions of Trump were released in January and February this year, immigrants who are without legal status become vulnerable even those who do not have criminal cases," said Tancino in a report by GMA News' Mark Salazar on 24 Oraso n Wednesday.
"We see removal cases being filed and cases of Filipinos being sent back to the Philippines," he added.
Tancinco said Filipino-American advocacy groups are lobbying against the proposed RAISE Act with the US Congress.
Foreign Affairs spokesperson Robbie Bolivar said the government will assess if President Rodrigo Duterte should raise the issue with Trump when they meet in Manila during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) East Asian Leaders Summit in November.
"If we see that it would affect the interest of our kababayans then I'm sure the President will be taking that up with President Trump in a bilateral meeting, should it materialize," Bolivar said. —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News

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