New US policy may save Pinoy family from deportation

Under the new United States policy of suspending court proceedings against illegal immigrants who pose no threat to national security, a Filipino family in New Jersey could escape deportation, the Filipino Reporter said. According to a Filipino Reporter article on Monday, the White House stated last week that it will allow “undocumented, law-abiding immigrants facing deportation" to stay in the US and apply for work permits. The report said the US government will focus its resources on booting out convicted criminals and others who pose a public safety or national security threat. The Filipino Reporter said the family of Carmelo Gulfin of Tinton Falls, New Jersey, was scheduled to be deported on September 30 this year. The report said the Gulfin family purchased earlier this month three one-way tickets to the Philippines, based on the orders of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer assigned to them. The ICE officer has asked the Gulfin family to report on September 26 to discuss details of their departure, the report said. However, the Filipino Reporter quoted Carmelo's wife Aurelia as saying, "“We are hoping...we are praying that the new policy will help us stay." “I believe in my heart that this recent policy change has been God’s answer to our prayers and those of thousands of others whose only desire is to provide a decent life for themselves and their loved ones," the Filipino Reporter quoted Aurelia as saying. Aside from Aurelia and Carmelo, the other person scheduled for deportation on September 30 is their 27-year-old son Miguel, who was only seven years old when his parents brought him to the US in 1991. The Filipino Reporter said Miguel completed grade school and high school in New Jersey, later pursued a communications degree at a community college, where he was on the Dean’s List until he had to quit school due to immigration problems. Miguel then took a two-year course in automotive mechanics to help his father run their family-owned auto repair shop, the report said. However, Miguel said he hopes to complete his college studies if he will be given the chance, the report added. New immigration policy The new immigration policy is expected to help thousands of undocumented immigrants who came to the US as young children, the Filipino Reporter said. Under the new policy, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano can provide relief, in certain cases, to young people who are living in the US illegally but pose no threat to national security or public safety, the report added. - VVP, GMA News