Eight undocumented Filipinos held in Turks and Caicos repatriated

Eight Filipino workers held for almost three weeks in the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean for immigration violations have been repatriated to the Philippines after their release by authorities in the British territory, an embassy report said on Wednesday.

The release of the eight came two weeks after a Philippine consular team made representations with immigration authorities during their visit to the capital, Provindenciales, on April 8, Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Cuisia Jr. said in a statement.

Although a British territory, Turks and Caicos are under the consular jurisdiction of the embassy in Washington because of its geographic proximity.

The islands, with a population of 47,754, became an attractive destination for Filipino workers during the hotel and construction boom in 2006 and 2007.

Cuisia said the eight were construction workers abandoned by their employers and arrested by immigration authorities on April 5 for overstaying and absence of work permits.

They were able to leave for the Philippines on Monday after Filipino community members contributed funds to allow them to purchase their return tickets to Manila.

The islands’ economy subsequently encountered a downturn as a result of the recession in the United States, forcing many companies to shut down. This resulted in many Filipino workers being abandoned by their employers.

Filipino workers there are now also increasingly experiencing stiff competition from local workers, whose employment is being prioritized by host country labor and immigration policies, Cuisia said. Michaela del Callar, VVP, GMA News