A CRACKDOWN on illegal immigration was one of the campaign promises that highlighted the return of Donald Trump to the White House.Now the specter of mass deportations looms over the estimated 10.5 million undocumented migrants in the United States.Trump is expected to order the deportations on the day he takes office on Jan. 20. According to the spokesman for the Trump transition team, his advisers are drafting executive orders that he will sign shortly after his inauguration ceremony.Among those facing deportation are the over 300,000 Filipinos illegally staying in the United States.Known as 'TNTs' — for tago nang tago because they are constantly on the run from immigration authorities — Filipino illegals make up the fifth-largest undocumented population in the US.They now face the grim prospect of being rounded up by the National Guard and herded into detention camps before they are banished.Trump also has no qualms about ordering the military to assist in the roundups. 'These aren't civilians,' he said of migrants. 'These are people that aren't legally in our country. This is an invasion of our country.'Trump is also likely to sweep away the prosecutorial protections provided by the Biden administration to illegal aliens, leaving them with few legal options to justify their stay.Filipinos who prefer to continue as TNTs will find it harder to move around or find work and will have to live as fugitives.The federal government is expected to challenge the authority of 'sanctuary cities' that offer a measure of protection to undocumented migrants.Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez has advised Filipinos without 'any kind of status' to voluntarily return to the Philippines or start the process to legalize their stay.If they are deported, there is almost no chance of returning to the US, Romualdez warned.Anticipating the influx of undocumented Filipinos wanting to return home, Romualdez is meeting with Philippine consuls to plan out their repatriation.The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will be working closely with the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) in assisting the deportees. Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the department is prepared to provide financial, medical and legal assistance to Filipinos, documented or undocumented, who want to leave the US ahead of the crackdown.The bigger problem is helping the Filipino illegals start over once they return home. Many of them have families relying on them for financial support; they, too, need government attention.Aside from financial aid, the DMW promised to help deportees by re-skilling them and helping them find appropriate work, if not here, in other countries like Croatia, Slovenia, Germany, Hungary and Japan.The sheer number of deportees from the US, however, will be a formidable challenge for the government.Sen. Imee Marcos is concerned that there is not enough funding to help the deportees. Under the 2025 national budget, the Department of Social Welfare and Development has been allocated funds for only 4,152 distressed and undocumented overseas Filipinos. And the DFA, through its Assistance to Nationals Fund and Legal Assistance Fund, was able to assist only 72,208 repatriated overseas Filipinos, mainly from conflict areas in the Middle East.'What will happen if the number of distressed overseas Filipinos suddenly triples? Are the government agencies prepared to rapidly and adequately respond to their needs?' Marcos said.Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, the Senate president pro tempore, shares the same concern and urged the government to prepare not only a comprehensive plan for the repatriation of the deportees but also 'financial assistance programs to help families affected by the loss of a financial lifeline.'The DMW has been allocated P1.3 billion for its Agarang Kalinga at Saklolo para sa mga OFW na Nangangailangan (Aksyon) and P1.287 billion for its Emergency Repatriation Fund, but the question is whether it is enough to help reintegrate the deportees from the US.The government is on point in recognizing the need to start preparing for the repatriation and resettlement of Filipino illegals. It gives it time to set up a coordinated repatriation mechanism for a smooth transition for returning Filipinos.
