Hawaii advocates dispute ambassador’s call for undocumented Filipino migrants to leave U.S.

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Facing the threat of mass deportation, thousands of unauthorized immigrants in Hawaii are being advised to go back to the Philippines.
But immigration advocates say that would devastate families and the local economy.
The independent Migration Policy Institute estimated there are about 23,000 undocumented Filipino immigrants in Hawaii, and there are potentially 250,000-300,000 nationwide.
Jose Manuel Ramualdez, the Philippine ambassador to the United States, is telling them they should all go home.
“My advice to them is to immediately leave voluntarily,” he said on Philippine television. “Because once you’re deported, you can never come back to the United States.”
Advocates say being caught illegally in the U.S. usually brings a 10-year ban against returning legally.
The ambassador said Trump, who argues that illegal immigrants cause crime, force up housing costs and take jobs, is serious about finding them.
“The people who are always hiding will be discovered at some form or another, because information is now shared by all departments, immigration, customs, the DHS, the TSA, all of this is now interconnected,” he said.
The comments were met with outrage by advocates and local businessman Eddie Flores.
“I think the ambassador of the Philippines is misguided,” Flores said. “He’s trying to make a consolatory gesture to pacify the Trump administration. My question to him is, what are he’s going to do with the 250,000 people going back to the Philippines?”
Flores said most migrants are sending money back to families, contributing significantly to the economy of the country, which struggles to employ its people.
Flores says deportation, whether forced or voluntary, will leave Hawaii businesses struggling without workers.
“They are very vital part of our economy, so you can’t just say, ‘Okay, we’re gonna send about 25, 30,000 people back to the Philippines.’ And you’re talking about jobs that most Americans, we do not want to do, like farming, slaughterhouse, construction, health care.”
Maria Rallojay, with the Hawaii Coalition for Immigrant Rights, says unauthorized migrants from the Philippines usually come to visit family on tourist visas and then stay to work because they can’t support their families with the jobs available in their home country.
“It just makes me really sad,” she said. “And people telling them they need to go back home. It’s, to me, it’s just really difficult to comprehend.”
Rallojay says there are nonprofit agencies where migrants can get help before deciding on whether to stay or leave.
“What I would say is, we are here for you and you need to just come help. We can help you,” she said.
Visit the Hawaii Coalition for Immigration Rights for more information.
Mass roundups of Hawaii’s approximately 51,000 unauthorized migrants of all nationalities would require local law enforcement support.
Sen. Joy San Buenaventura is trying to block that cooperation on immigration by asking agencies to resist.
“We’re asking them to not enforce, or at least put it in the lowest priority of enforcement,” she said. “We shouldn’t weaponize our national guards to be against our own citizens, our own residents.”
But Republicans supporting the crackdown, like state Sen. Brenton Awa, claiming migrants have displaced local families.
“There’s gotta be stories that are that are heartbreaking for certain families, but we’re standing up for the people that were native to this land,” Awa said.
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