Yeah, baby! US-based Filipinos to benefit from Biden presidency, says ambassador

U.S. President Joe Biden. Photo: Biden/FB
U.S. President Joe Biden. Photo: Biden/FB

Filipinos living in the United States are expected to benefit from American President Joe Biden’s presidency, Philippine Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez said today.

Sworn in today, Biden defeated former President Donald Trump, who is known for his anti-immigration policies and public statements. Biden will reportedly propose legislation that will give millions of undocumented immigrants the opportunity to become American citizens in eight years.

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There are about 2 million Filipinos living in the United States, thousands of whom are undocumented. Filipinos call them T.N.T., short for the phrase “tago nang tago” or “always in hiding,” because they are under the constant threat of deportation due to their immigration status.

Romualdez said Biden’s planned reform of government policies is a boon to Pinoys in the U.S., noting that Democrats are generally pro-immigrants.

“I know that one of the main programs of the Biden administration is to go back to what they had, their immigration policies. So that will of course benefit our Filipino compatriots,” the ambassador to the U.S. said in an interview with news program Unang Hirit.

“Most Americans come from other parts of the world and they believe that the United States is what it is today because of immigrants,” Romualdez added.

Biden has just signed an order that repealed Trump’s ban on travelers from several Muslim-majority countries, such as Eritrea, Yemen, Nigeria, and Sudan.

Despite Trump’s anti-immigration stance, some Filipino-Americans supported his policies. In a 2020 survey, about 34% of Fil-Ams polled said they had planned to vote for Trump during the election held that year. They cited their “conservative” beliefs, such as their opposition to abortion, as their reason.

 



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