This is an open letter from Tanggol Migrante Movement – Washington State to the Philippine Consulate General in Seattle and the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. regarding their concerning lack of urgency to address the needs and issues of Filipinos in ICE detention.
For the past year and a half, Filipino nationals, alongside migrant communities across the U.S., have been targeted by the Trump administration’s vicious mass deportation campaign. In the most recent months, the administration’s 2000/day detention quota has ravaged our communities, with July marked as the highest number of ICE detentions in a month at 51,000. Whether they are detained at citizenship interviews, returning home from vacation, or released from prison only to serve double time, these families are all victims of the administration’s inhumane agenda.
The Philippine government has both a legal and moral responsibility to protect Filipino migrants abroad, especially those facing family separation, detention, and deportation.
Tanggol Migrante Movement is grateful for the efforts led by many of our community organizations and individuals that resulted in the opening of a Philippine Consulate in Washington State this year. However, our community’s experience of the Consulate’s service to Filipinos so far has been negligent at best. This is already evident in the lack of support for Filipinos seeking support to address housing insecurity, domestic violence, wage theft, labor trafficking, and the many elders who are seeking clear guidance on how to access their pensions. It is especially disheartening in the neglect of the at least nine Filipinos currently detained at the Northwest Detention Center (NWDC).
In July, the Consulate began almost weekly visits to the NWDC due to pressure from our community. While we welcome these developments, these visits have resulted in few to no tangible outcomes. Detainees have expressed frustration with repeated unfulfilled promises and bureaucratic processes, like signing the same paperwork multiple times. Additionally, multiple detainees have reported that the Consulate has attempted to sow division between them and our community organizations, ranging from Consular officials telling migrants not to speak to Tanggol Migrante, to complaining that all we do is rally. Consul General Henry Bensurto Jr. went so far as threatening to call the police and kicking out our advocates accompanying a migrant requesting Assistance-to-Nationals (ATN) at the Consulate.
Our advocacy, which ranges from phone barrages and dance challenges, to prayers and rallies, does make a difference and is precisely what has pushed the Consulate to take action. However, our kababayan are not boxes to be checked off, and they deserve more than meaningless visits. They deserve genuine advocacy and concrete support without delay.
On July 29, the Consulate attempted to visit each detainee at the NWDC. All detainees, except for one, decided to leave after being forced to wait for two hours because they said it was “a waste of time” and that the “Consulate doesn’t do anything.” Detainees often wonder where the budget allotted towards serving overseas Filipinos is going when these officials walk into their cages sporting Rolex watches and Gucci bags. It is no wonder our nationals are so frustrated when we contrast this flaunting of wealth with the Consulate’s lack of urgency and the conditions of detention:
- Tatay Loreto was detained on June 23. He is a 78-year-old green card holder and great grandfather with Stage IV prostate cancer. The Philippine National Bureau of Investigation colluded with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security by providing the information and documents that led to his detention.
- Kuya Nestor is a green card holder who has been unjustly detained and separated from his partner and two daughters since June 28. He continues to fight for his freedom while his family and community demand meaningful action. On August 10, a Philippine Embassy staffer informed Tanggol Migrante that they had no record of Nestor’s ATN request.
- Kuya Sean was ordered for removal on June 18 and is still awaiting repatriation. ● Kuya R was approved for $7500 in legal assistance last year, but never received it. Now, he is being told to apply for ATN again through the Seattle Consulate. At the same time, he is suffering from the oppressive conditions in the NWDC and facing intense suicidal ideation.
- Kuya Greggy’s ATN request was denied again, even as he is homeless. Kuya Rob has been detained for 400+ days and his elderly mother has received no support for his legal bills. Kuya Rho and Kuya Desmond are both green card holders in need of legal assistance, but have been provided none. Kuya Jeff has not heard from the Consulate since being released on June 10.
Tanggol Migrante Movement raises these inadequacies as a public call to the Philippine Consulate and Embassy to address these issues with urgency and transparency. It is the responsibility of the Tanggol Migrante Movement to support and defend the rights of migrants impacted by the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, while holding both the US and PH government accountable to upholding the rights and welfare of our kababayan. We call on the Philippine Consulate and Embassy to provide the following:
- Diplomatically intervene to advocate for the release of all unjustly detained
Filipinos. Exert diplomatic powers to advocate for and ensure humane treatment in detention centers, including edible food delivered during regularized meal times and mental and physical healthcare services.
- Provide immediate material assistance, including ATN, to all detained Filipinos. At minimum, immediately deliver on the promise to detainees of $300 to their commissary.
- Provide legal support and release ATN to not just detained Filipinos, but those facing trafficking, domestic violence, and wage theft.
- Provide immediate support for Filipinos choosing repatriation or voluntary departure. Ensure their health is stable enough to fly and provide any endorsements necessary to receive adequate support once returned to the Philippines.
Tanggol Migrante Movement has worked alongside dozens of detained Filipinos and their families and fought for the release of seven Filipinos from the NWDC who have since returned to their loved ones. We worked alongside individuals and organizations like the Northwest Immigration Rights Project (NWIRP), Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, Representative Edwin Obras, and labor unions like IAM, SEIU, and AFSCME. Through this ongoing work, we have conducted hundreds of visits with detainees, dozens of know your rights trainings, supported families in navigating consular and immigration matters, accompanied migrants to their ICE check-ins, held meetings with legislators to investigate the human rights violations in the NWDC, fund-raised tens of thousands for distressed families, and most importantly, built a mass movement to carry the fights of those most impacted. Our priority is to uphold the interests of those suffering in detention and we hope that these concerns are met with sincerity and concrete action in service of our kababayan by the Philippine Consulate and Embassy.
Signed,
Tanggol Migrante Movement – Washington State
