Envoy urges Pinoy illegals in US to return home

WASHINGTON DC — Ambassador Albert del Rosario appealed to illegal Filipino migrants in the United States to return to the Philippines in the wake of growing perception that the current volume of immigration presents "a critical threat" to the US.

Del Rosario made the appeal following a recent opinion poll showing that 60 percent of Americans are threatened by the present level of immigration although only 14 percent of the nation’s leadership are concerned about the issue.

He said undocumented Filipino migrants face increasing risks of apprehension, detention and deportation because of the enhanced computerization and database interoperability of various US government agencies following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Del Rosario urged undocumented Filipinos, or those staying illegally in the US, to go to the Philippine Embassy or the nearest consulate and apply for passports so that they can prepare to voluntarily return home.

The ambassador also warned those in Manila, who are applying for US visas with the intention of violating US immigration laws, to think twice about the dire consequences of such action.

Citing figures from the US Immigration and Naturalization Service, he said the US admits between 700,000 and 900,000 legal immigrants each year.

The US INS estimates there are about six million illegal aliens in the United States and this number continues to increase by more than 200,000 per year.

A poll conducted by the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations (CCFR) showed that the gap between the American public and "opinion leaders" on immigration issues has been widening since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington D.C. last year.

According to the survey, 70 percent of the public said reducing illegal immigration should be a "very important" foreign-policy goal of the United States but only 22 percent of the nation’s leadership agreed.

In 1998, according to the CCFR, 55 percent of the public and 18 percent of opinion leaders viewed immigration as a "critical threat."

But in its latest survey, 55 percent of the public polled said legal immigration should be reduced while 27 percent said it should remain the same.

On the other hand, only 18 percent of opinion leaders said it should be reduced and 60 percent said it should remain the same.