According to Catholic World News, Bishop Ruperto Santos of the Diocese of Balanga in the Philippines urged Filipinos who are currently in the United States illegally “not to wait to be branded undocumented and be deported” once enforcement efforts are stepped up under a Trump Administration.
Bishop Santos said that the Catholic Church would work with the government in the Philippines to provide assistance to those who wish to return home.
The Pew Research Center estimated there were about 180,000 illegal aliens from the Philippines living in the United States in 2014.
In the most recent numbers (2014) from DHS, there were 49,996 lawful permanent resident admitted from the Philippines, the fourth most from any country, following Mexico, India, and China.
Overall, the Census Bureau estimated just under two million (1,982,369) people living in the United States in 2015 were born in the Philippines.
