A familiar sight at the departure area of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport is that of prospective Filipino immigrants hand-carrying their chest x-ray films in clear plastic-lined brown manila envelopes, to be handed over to US authorities if and when requested at the port of entry. This is a very reassuring sight, because it proves beyond any shadow of doubt that legal immigrants from the Philippines have undergone thorough medical examinations before being granted permission to migrate to the US. This should be more than sufficient to reassure the American public that Filipinos entering the US do not bring communicable diseases into the country. Quite the reverse is actually going on, given the current situation in Manila where 77 cases of the swine flu or H1N1 virus have been confirmed to date. The carriers appear to be travelers who have recently arrived from the US, instead of the other way around.
Yet, despite this extraordinary effort to safeguard the health and welfare of the American public, myths persist to the effect that immigrants, especially the undocumented ones, bring communicable diseases into the country. The most recent cases of swine flu are a case in point, because immigrants are being blamed for its spread, ignoring the fact that the outbreak is spreading worldwide as legal international visitors to Mexico become infected and then return home. These myths focus on the same target usually chosen when assigning responsibility for any social, economic, political or natural disaster: immigrants – especially undocumented immigrants. Back in 2007, a well-respected US television news commentator known for his anti-immigration stance reported that immigrants from southeast Asia, which of course includes the Philippines, have been the source of active and current cases of tuberculosis, leprosy and malaria. He claimed that leprosy had risen to and remained at more than 7,000 cases. This claim was subsequently debunked by findings to the effect that the 7,000 cases cited are the total number of cases for the last 30 years, not the last 3 years, and nobody knows how many of these cases involved immigrants or Americans. As to the specific case of the swine flu, conservative commentators in the news media have placed the blame squarely on the shoulders of undocumented Mexican immigrants. Some even suggested that Mexicans were deliberately carrying the virus across the border as a form of sabotage against the US, a truly outlandish claim, since it has been proven that the few documented cases in the US were in fact involving several students at the infected school in New York who recently came back from a spring break in Cancun. Then there is that famous sheriff from Maricopa County, Arizona who has gained international fame and notoriety by transforming his police department into an immigration enforcement agency. He has devoted more time and resources to tracking down undocumented workers rather than actually fighting crime. He has even portrayed himself as a defender of public health, readying his jail for a “potential outbreak” of swine flu, and outfitting his deputies with “hundreds of protective gear kits” in the event they encounter an undocumented swine-flu carrier in the desert. Cities across the country are taking similar steps toward enforcing federal immigration law. Many of them are finding that it is much more expensive than they thought in both monetary and human terms. Police departments find themselves without adequate funding to investigate crimes or perform their new immigration-related activities, and immigrant communities are fearful of cooperating with the police, thus hampering the ability of police to solve crimes. Allegations of racial profiling have stung the cities, and some will ultimately lead to costly lawsuits. Local anti-immigrant policies are no substitute for comprehensive, substantive immigration reform at the national level.
VISA PRIORITY DATES FOR THE PHILIPPINES
June, 2009
*FAMILY SPONSORED PREFERENCES
First: Unmarried sons/daughters of US citizens (Age 21 or Older) SEPT 1, 1993
Second:
A. Spouses/minor children (Under Age 21) of permanent residents DEC. 15, 2004
B. Unmarried sons/daughters 21 years of age or older of permanent
residents APR. 1, 1998
Third: Married sons/daughters of citizens JULY 1, 1991
Fourth: Brothers/sisters of citizens AUG. 1, 1986
EMPLOYMENT-BASED PREFERENCES
First: Priority workers Current
Second: Professionals holding advanced degrees or persons of
exceptional ability Current
Third: Skilled workers, professionals Unavailable Now*
Other workers Unavailable Now*
Fourth: Certain special immigrants/religious workers/ministers Current
Fifth: Employment creation: (Million or half-million dollar investor Current
Targeted employment Areas/Regional Centers Current
Note:
*The cut-off dates for the Employment Third and Third preference “Other Worker” categories were held and then retrogressed in an effort to bring demand within the average monthly usage targets and the overall annual numerical limits. Despite these efforts, the amount of demand received from Citizenship and Immigration Services Offices for adjustment of status cases with priority dates that were significantly earlier than the established cut-off dates remained extremely high. As a result, these annual limits have been reached and both categories have become “Unavailable.”
Visa availability in these categories will resume in October, 2009, the first month of the new fiscal year.
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