By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora
MANILA – No Filipino national was among the 10 deported by the United States to the southern African state of Eswatini, the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. said Saturday.
“After verification with the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Embassy was able to confirm that no Filipino citizen has been involved in any third-country deportation from the United States,” it said in a statement.
The embassy said one individual was unable to establish Philippine citizenship and could not be deported to the Philippines.
A US lawyer for two Vietnamese nationals was earlier quoted as saying by reports that the group included “three Vietnamese, one Filipino, one Cambodian and four [to] six others.”
“The Embassy continues to engage with relevant US authorities to ensure the well-being of its citizens in the United States and maintains its readiness to receive all Filipino citizens under final order of removal,” it said.
The Eswatini government earlier confirmed that 10 foreign nationals arrived in the African Kingdom on Monday, saying they would be kept “in a secured area separate from the public, while arrangements are made for their return to their countries of origin.”
The Trump administration had been striking deportation deals with third countries as it ramps up its immigration crackdown. (PNA)
