Chicago protest against deportation of Filipino immigrant
Chicago, IL – On Wednesday April 22, a crowd of about 50 people gathered in an emergency rally in front of the Chicago Philippines Consulate. They were protesting both the mistreatment and deportation of Kuya J., a Filipino immigrant, and the annual joint military exercises taking place in the Philippines, known as the Balikatan exercises.
Since the escalation of attacks on immigrant communities across the country, Filipino immigrant rights organizations have fought for Filipinos who are held by ICE and at risk of deportation.
A member of Malaya read a letter from Kuya J.’s family stating, “It’s sad to say, if not for Tanggol Migrante, Filipinos going through distress and hardships would have been so hopeless. Because this should have been the responsibility of the Philippines government representatives, mainly the Philippines consulate and Philippines embassy to protect the rights of Filipinos overseas.”
Tanggol Migrante, a central organization to the struggle of Filipino immigrants organized the protest, has also been contacting the Philippines government, mainly through the Chicago consulate, to discuss Kuya J.’s case and coordinate the release of Filipino immigrants at the time they are held by ICE.
“They [the Filipino government and consulate] think time will pass after exposing their accounts of lies and greed, and their negligence of Kuya J. and other cases will be forgotten, but we remember,” said a member of Anakbayan at UIC, a Filipino youth and student activist organization.
The consulate was supposed to support Kuya J. and his family through the Assistance to National Funds that the government provides to Filipino nationals abroad. However, they were denied assistance, despite the embassy being contacted many times online, through phone and even in person. Instead, it was discovered that these funds were being embezzled for personal expenses, such as renovating consulate officials' homes.
“What does this day tell us about the priorities of the U.S. and Philippines government? It shows us that they would rather invest in military and war exercises and the displacement of the Filipino people than genuinely support what is needed for our livelihood and land stewardship,” stated a member of the Philippines-U.S. Solidarity Organization (PUSO).
While many Filipino nationals in the U.S. face deportation, the Philippines government helps bankroll the Balikatan exercises, the joint exercises with the U.S. and other countries.
The same morning the protest was held, news broke of the Philippines Armed Forces carrying out a strafing attack on Negros Island, killing student leader Alyssa Alano and people’s journalist RJ Ledesma, as well as 17 other innocent civilians.
For more updates on actions surrounding immigrant detentions in the Filipino community in the Chicago area follow @migrantechicago and @Tanggolmigrantechicago. For more updates and actions surrounding military suppression of the Filipino people in the Philippines follow @anakbayanchicago, @malayachicago, @puso.chicago, and @anakbayanatuic.