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Senator says family reunification long overdue, offers to assist veterans’ kin apply for parole
New York Senator Charles Schumer announced on June 9 that the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will allow certain Filipino World War II veteran family members who are beneficiaries of approved family-based immigrant visa petitions an opportunity to seek a discretionary grant of parole, on a case-by-case basis. According […]
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Tech company ordered to pay its Filipino engineers more than $160K in back wages, overtime
A federal court in San Francisco has entered a consent judgment that orders a Silicon Valley electronics manufacturer to pay more than $80,000 in minimum wage and overtime back pay and an equal, additional amount in damages to its workers after the U.S. Department of Labor discovered violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). […]
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$76K judgment for trafficked physical therapist; 3 staffing agencies charged with coercion, fraud
Three staffing companies were hit with a $76,000 judgment in a lawsuit which claimed that they violated the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act by luring a Filipino man to the United States with false promises of a highly paid full-time job, according to the website Pechman Law Group PLLC. The […]
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A strange encounter at a fundraising gala
By Cristina DC Pastor My Friend, who shall not be named because of an ongoing federal investigation, called early morning today. He does not usually call at 7 a.m. unless it’s an urgent matter or I phone him and I am expecting a callback. Friend met a couple of a people at the recent Pan […]
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MOIA: ‘No confirmed reports of immigration raids in NYC’
As of January 5, 2016, 121 individuals have been arrested by immigration officials nationwide so far. These raids mostly took place in Georgia, Texas, and North Carolina. There have been no confirmed reports of immigration raids in New York City, according to the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA). “The City of New York […]
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New PAFCOM President Ledy Almadin reaches out to youth, emphasizes inclusivity
By Cristina DC Pastor Beginning January 1, the Philippine American Friendship Committee will welcome its new president: accounting professional, long-time pillar of the community, and mother of two teen daughters Ledy Almadin. Ledy, 47, becomes the 26th president of the Jersey City-based PAFCOM, an organization that seeks to unite Filipinos in the Garden State to […]
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Josie Natori lends support against domestic violence, human trafficking
By Maribelle Biscocho-Omar The New York Asian Women’s Center celebrated 33 years of unifying and empowering women in combating domestic violence. The organization presented the Phoenix Awards to fashion designer and CEO Josie Natori of The Natori Company at a gala event on October 6. “Asian women really end up getting the short end of […]
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For TCK Generation, ‘Where is home’ is a dreaded, ambiguous question
By Maribelle Biscocho-Omar Identity is a concept that sounds simple enough, usually defined by name, ethnicity, hometown, or sexuality. When it comes to cultural identity, a certain ambiguity emerges. One is never just from his or her birth country. A strong sense of belonging, especially for the youth, becomes just as important. There is a […]
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First Filipina worker-owned cleaning cooperative launched
More than two years after Rina Hernandez was rescued from human trafficking from a Middle Eastern family, life has quieted down a little bit for this former school teacher. She now lives in Queens secure in her resolved immigration status and has worked job to job to get by. Some days are hard because her […]