FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact:
Greg King
Greg@firmtc.org
Executive Director
Filipinx for Immigrant Rights & Racial Justice MN (FIRM)
St. Paul, Minnesota – January 27, 2019– FIRM, a group of immigrants and children of immigrants from the Philippines working for immigrant rights, social and racial justice in Minnesota, denounces the recent decision by the Department of Homeland Security to remove the Philippines (along with Ethiopia and the Dominican Republic) from the list of countries eligible for the H2-A/H-2B work visas, which allow US employers to hire overseas workers to do agricultural and seasonal work. In making the decision, the DHS cited concerns about Filipinx overstaying their visas and being involved in human trafficking. Although the numbers of Filipinx citizens that utilize the H-2A / H2-B visa program is not high (only 834 such visas were issued in 2017), this announcement has raised concerns in the Filipinx community because they were singled out, leaving open the door for further restrictions in the future. Filipinx residents make up the fourth-largest immigrant ethnicity in the United States.
“This represents what has become a familiar pattern for this administration, using propaganda to paint an immigrant group as criminals and to characterize immigration itself as a pathway to illegal activity as a pretext to shut it down altogether,” stated FIRM Executive Director Greg King. “If this administration had a serious interest in helping victims of trafficking, they would halt any collaboration between law enforcement and immigration enforcement so that victims would feel safe to seek help and they would open more channels for legal immigration so that desperate individuals do not turn to illicit channels to seek a better life.” While immigrant visa programs have slowed considerably for the last 20 years, they have come to a nearly complete standstill under the Trump administration, leaving Filipinx separated for over a decade with thousands of dollars spent in application fees and no end in sight.
About FIRM:
FIRM was founded in November 2016 in response to the rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric and bigotry against marginalized communities during and after the Presidential election. FIRM is a collective voice of the Filipinx diaspora in Minnesota that speaks out for open and fair immigration policies, and advocates for social and racial justice for a better life for all.
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