'Terrorist' Tag on Filipinos to Cause Deportation of TNTs
Asian Journal, Posted: Nov 22, 2002
Because of Washington's perception and allegation that the Philippines is a host country for worldwide terrorist activities, at least 300,000 Filipinos have become targets of the Immigration and Naturalization Services' (INS) hunt for deportation proceedings.
In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, the INS reported that there are at least 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States and cracking down on illegal aliens is one way of protecting its citizens from these so-called terrorists.
In a report in the Manila Times, the US Embassy in Manila has announced that the INS has been tracking down undocumented Filipinos, known as "TNTs" (Tago ng Tago in Filipino) to be deported back to the Philippines.
The Philippines, despite the all-out and unwavering support given by its government to the U.S. government, has still been on the US terror watch list because of the presence of the Abu Sayyaf, which purportedly had links with Al-Qaeda. The Abu Sayyaf bandits, though, are based mainly in the remote Southern part of the Philippines.
Filipino-Americans in the United States and the Philippines have protested the "terrorist" tag placed on their heads and criticized the U.S. government for such action.
President George W. Bush's administration is likewise being criticized by the Mexican government and community after it backed down on campaign promises to legalize a bigger number of illegal immigrants totaling at least 3.5 million. In the recent Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Bush tried to shy away from the topic of legalization and easing up of immigration laws he promised during the last presidential elections to Mexican President Vicente Fox.
Most Filipinos have been singled out though in the company of Middle Eastern-looking individuals as possible terrorists in the U.S., mainly because of the bandit group Abu Sayyaf, which started out in the 1980s as a mercenary group trained by United States agents for its own war waged against the Russian invasion of Afghanistan. The Abu Sayyaf then turned to kidnapping activities to fund its organization and was considered a bandit group by the Philippine government before it was linked to Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network.
On Tuesday, Malacaņang said the United States government must make sure the evidence against some 300,000 Filipinos it will be deporting is solid and not based on "mere suspicion."
"We will protest if the deportation is undue (or unlawful) or is made based on mere suspicion," Presidential Spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao said.
Tiglao reminded Washington to make sure that the deportation of undocumented Filipinos and other nationalities would be within the bounds of their laws and would not be violating human rights.
"Let us hope that every deportation of not only the Filipinos, be undertaken within their laws. I believe they will comply with their (immigration) laws," Tiglao said.
The number of undocumented Filipinos is but a fraction of the more than four million Filipinos now in America. "It's not much compared to the actual number of Filipinos there," he said.
Meanwhile, the US has tightened its screening of visa applicants. It also raised the fee for visa processing from $65 to $100.
In a related development, Sen. Manny Villar, chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, said Tuesday that Malacaņang should ask Washington to reconsider the plan to deport undocumented Filipinos.
"This is the time for President Macapagal-Arroyo to use her charisma and show President George Bush Jr. that Filipinos are not the enemy of the US but a close ally and ready to back them up in all their deeds," Villar told reporters.
Villar also said the American government had been asking so much from the Philippines and this is the time for the US to return the favor by giving Filipinos who have been staying in the US for years a chance to legalize their stay. (AJ)
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