The New York and New Jersey-based Filipino community is launching a campaign
The New York and New Jersey-based Filipino community is launching a campaign next month to win Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for its undocumented members living in the U.S., reports Noel Pangilinan in ImmigraNation.
Typhoon Haiyan, an exceptionally powerful cyclone, devastated parts of the Philippines on Nov. 8, 2013, killing more than 6,000 people and leaving a trail of destruction. The Philippine Ambassador to the U.S., Jose L. Cuisia, Jr., handed a formal request for TPS through a note verbale on Dec. 13, 2013. The secretary of homeland security can grant TPS to citizens of foreign countries affected by armed conflict, environmental disaster, an epidemic or other extraordinary and temporary conditions. Several community groups and activists launched the campaign at a meeting held at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi in Midtown Manhattan on January 9.
“As one Filipino community, let our voices, let our coming together, once again remind the Department of Homeland Security of the pending request for TPS,” Fr. Julian Jagudilla, OFM, Director of the Migrant Center at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi (CSFA), said.
“The TPS can and will be a big help in easing the suffering of Filipinos in the U.S. who have families and friends directly affected by Typhoon Haiyan. We are asking the Obama administration and the DHS to be sensitive to the plight of the Filipinos here in the U.S. as well as of those in the Philippines,” Fr. Jagudilla, who convened the meeting, said.
TPS for the Philippines Now, a community organization spearheading the campaign, plans to hold a forum at San Damiano Hall of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi in Midtown Manhattan on February 1 to garner support for the speedy approval of TPS. It has scheduled an interfaith vigil in front of the DHS offices at 26 Federal Plaza in downtown Manhattan on February 13.
Advocates believe that a TPS can help alleviate the sufferings of Filipinos in the U.S. and their home country in the aftermath of the deadly cyclone.
“The country is in dire need of financial assistance,” Fr. Patrick Longalong, coordinator of the Filipino Diocesan Apostolate in the Diocese of Brooklyn, said. “The increased remittances by Filipinos potentially eligible for TPS can help soften the harsh economic impact of the recent typhoon.”
Cris Hilo, co-coordinator of Taskforce Haiyan-Northeast, cited a precedent, the TPS granted to Haiti after a devastating earthquake hit the country in 2010. “The granting of TPS for Haitians is an example of how TPS is in fact an important form of relief,” she said. “TPS for Filipinos in the US will help to stabilize the situation of Filipinos who have been displaced, who need to provide for, and reunite with their loved ones affected by the typhoon.”
But not every one in the community expects the DHS to accede to the request.
“It’s hard to say,” lawyer Cristina Godinez, chairperson of The Stand Up for Immigrants of the Migrant Center at CSFA, said.
“On one hand, you have Haiti that was given TPS ten days after 2010 earthquake. On the other hand, you have Guatemala and Pakistan, both hit by natural disasters also in 2010, but are still awaiting their TPS until now,” Godinez said.
However, the possibility of failure is not deterring the community activists from their campaign. Filipinos based in other cities are also mobilizing to launch their own campaigns to press for the demand. As part of this campaign, representatives of National Domestic Workers Alliance, Filipino Workers Center of Los Angeles and Damayan Migrant Workers Association plan to meet with the DHS officials in Washington DC on January 23.