Philippines' Ambassador to U.S. Tells Illegal Aliens to Leave the U.S.

America’s voter-approved turn towards greater immigration enforcement is making waves with politicians from across the world. The latest comments came from the Ambassador of the Philippines to the U.S., Jose Manuel Romualdez. In a short video clip, he urged any Philippine citizens in the U.S. illegally to leave voluntarily before removals begin. He warned them to do so of their own accord rather than be forced out “…because once you’re deported, you can never come back.” While not technically true (removal normally results in an extended ban on re-entry rather than a life ban), it shows that many illegal aliens may not even need to be removed but can be persuaded to leave on their own.
The Philippine government is preparing to help facilitate its nationals to leave the U.S. In a statement on their website, the Philippine Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) states, “The DMW is prepared to assist our OFWs [overseas Filipino workers], whether they are documented or undocumented OFWs. Under the directives of our President, a whole-of-government team is here to provide support to possible deportees.”
The government of the Philippines realizes that the incoming U.S. administration intends to carry out large-scale removals to counterbalance the disaster of open-borders policies and reaffirm the rule of law. Rather than have its nationals caught up in the new administration’s deportation efforts, and potentially banned from the U.S. for years, the Philippine government is telling those illegally present to return to their homeland. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data show that over 150,000 Philippine nationals have been encountered at America’s borders since Fiscal Year 2021. Media reports in Asia estimate over 350,000 Philippine nationals are currently in the U.S. without authorization.
Other nations also seem to be preparing for large-scale deportations from the U.S. For example, Mexico has already signaled that it is preparing to receive and assist Mexicans deported from the U.S. and given that Mexicans are the largest nationality of illegal aliens, this could be a substantial number. And while not necessarily expecting many of its own nationals, Canada is preparing to receive third-country nationals leaving the U.S. via the northern border when large-scale removals begin.
These significant changes in messaging show the power of good policy. When illegal aliens knew they would be let in, Americans watched as they came by the millions. If those incentives to illegally come and stay are gone, many may choose to cut their losses and return.
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