US ICE to deport Filipino detainee to PH —DFA

A Filipino detainee in the United States is set to be deported to the Philippines, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Monday.

Greggy Sorio, known to the Filipino.community in Washington state as Kuya G, Tagalog for "Big Brother G," was ordered deported by the US Immigration Court, the DFA said, adding a recent Application for Stay of Removal was likewise denied by ICE.

Sorio, a detainee at the Northwest ICE Detention Center, was previously hospitalized for ulcerative colitis, but was later on cleared by US authorities for travel back to the Philippines. The DFA did not provide the schedule of his deportation.

"The Department respects this decision and recognizes the sovereign right of the United States to determine who may be allowed to remain in its territory," the DFA said, but assured that necessary assistance will be provided to Sorio upon his arrival in the Philippines.

"The Department notes that, through the Legal Assistance Fund, it previously provided funding for his legal representation," it said.

"From the time the Consulate General (in San Francisco) was made aware of his medical concerns, it repeatedly coordinated with the relevant officials to ensure that he was examined and provided with appropriate medical attention."

The consulate, it added, was informed by both Sorio and ICE officials regarding his hospitalization and was able to conduct welfare checks during his period of confinement in the hospital. The consulate also monitored his subsequent checkups and the provision of his medications, the DFA said.

Philippine diplomats in San Francisco have repeatedly conveyed requests for humanitarian consideration to allow him to substantially recover from his medical condition prior to his deportation.

However, the DFA said that the ICE Health Services Corps has assessed Sorio's condition and deemed him "medically cleared for deportation."

"The Department reiterates its commitment to provide assistance to Philippine nationals abroad, through its Foreign Service Posts, in accordance with relevant conventions and international agreements, and with due respect for applicable local laws and regulations," the DFA said.

Since returning to the White House, President Donald Trump has been toughly enforcing immigration laws and ordering the mass deportation of illegal migrants, one of his top campaign promises.

The Philippine government in May this year has requested US officials that Filipinos facing deportation should be allowed to return to their home country.

Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez said he conveyed to US officials the Philippines’ position that it will “certainly not want” any Filipino even a Filipino-American to be transported and detained to third countries, which agreed to accept deported migrants from the US under an arrangement with the Trump administration.

The embassy said it continues to engage with relevant US authorities to ensure the well-being of its citizens in the US and reiterated that it is ready to receive all Filipino citizens under final order of removal. —AOL, GMA Integrated News