Malacañang on Monday hailed US President-elect Joe Biden’s decision to grant legal status to some 11-million immigrants in the US once he assumes the presidency.
“Ngayon pa lang inanunsiyo na ni President-elect Biden na magpo-propose siya ng batas to legalize the stay of 11 million illegal aliens in the United States at siyempre po may mga Pilipinong mabibenepisyo sa batas na iyan,” Palace spokesman Harry Roque said.
According to the Migration Policy Institute, there were more than two million Filipino immigrants in the US, which accounted for 4.5 percent of the country’s 44.7 million immigrants in 2018.
Incumbent US President Donald Trump imposed a rigid policy against illegal immigrants, including a bid to exclude them from census counts.
Biden, who will be inaugurated on Jan. 20, will prioritize immigration reforms early in his presidency, according to the Associated Press
According to the Migration Policy Institute, there were more than two million Filipino immigrants in the US, which accounted for 4.5 percent of the country’s 44.7 million immigrants in 2018.
Roque said the Duterte administration was not expecting PH-US ties to weaken under Biden, a democrat.
Asked if the administration’s deadly war on drugs would cause bilateral relations to collapse, Roque said: “Wala po kaming comment, diyan, walang basehan iyan. Ang mayroon po tayo ay mainit at malapit na relasyon sa bansang Estados Unidos.” John Ezekiel J. Hirro