Only 16% of eligible Pinoy youths sought temporary immigration relief

MANILA, Philippines - Only 16 percent of the more than 20,000 eligible Filipino youth in the United States availed themselves of the White House’s program that provides temporary immigration relief for undocumented teens and young adults, the Philippine embassy in Washington said yesterday.

With the low turnout, the embassy, in partnership with the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) and Own The Dream, launched on Tuesday a nationwide campaign urging undocumented Filipino youth to apply for the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

“DACA is a temporary administrative relief from deportation that provides recipients with educational opportunities, financial independence and greater mobility, albeit for a temporary period,” Ambassador Jose Cuisia Jr. said.

Cuisia said the embassy decided to get involved after finding out that Filipino youth have not taken advantage of the DACA program more than a year after it was implemented.

He cited studies that showed only 16 percent of the estimated 20,000 Filipino youth who are DACA-eligible have applied so far.

“We believe that raising awareness can allay the fears of potential applicants. Hopefully, more youth will avail themselves of this immigration relief by the end of its second year of implementation,” he said.

The ambassador expressed hope the campaign would give workable and useful options for eligible Filipinos.

APALA executive director Gregory Cendaña urged Filipino teens and young adults who grew up in the US to apply for DACA as it would help them obtain legal papers.

“For two years, they will be protected from deportation and get a valid social security number and a work permit. After two years it may be renewed,” said Cendaña, a participant to the Filipino American Young Leaders program.

He said DACA is the biggest advancement in immigrant rights that the US has seen in over 25 years.

Angelo Mathay, DACA Law Fellow at the National Immigration Law Center, said many Filipinos are not aware of this opportunity.

“The Migration Policy Institute estimates that some 22,000 Filipinos are eligible for DACA yet only 4,000 have applied, and more are becoming eligible every day,” Mathay said.

“Many Filipinos do not know about DACA because much of the publicity is directed towards the Latino community,” said Adam Luna, director of Own The Dream that helps teens and young adults obtain work permits.

Luna said the partnership would not only provide education about the DACA but would also allow undocumented Filipinos access to free and low-cost legal assistance.

“The embassy’s strong reputation and public commitment to the program and partnership with the only nationwide effort to implement the program will also allay any fears from a community which, by necessity, has lived in the shadows for far too long,” he said.