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As legalization looms, Jose Antonio Vargas says, ‘I can now go back and see my mother’
By Cristina DC Pastor One of the much anticipated initiatives in President Obama’s planned executive action was the expansion of DACA or the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. On November 20, Obama made it official: He unveiled a plan to expand the coverage of DACA and offer relief as well to undocumented parents of citizens […]
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Go Big: An open letter to President Obama
Dear President Barack Obama, You have one final opportunity to significantly improve the lives of millions of undocumented immigrants living inside the United States, who contribute positively to the social tapestry and recovering economy of our country. These people long for the respect and acceptance from the country they call home. They consider themselves American […]
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Nov. 6-13 Other Israel film festival to feature immigration film ‘Transit’
“Transit” by Hannah Espia is among the films to be featured in the 8th Annual Other Israel Film Festival in New York City. Espia’s debut film is the story of a Filipino caregiver in Israel determined to hide his children from immigration police to prevent their deportation. In 2009, Israel sought to expel several hundreds […]
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Where to find the 7.1% FilAms living in poverty? Not at a ballroom gala!
By Bella Santos Owens Recently, the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders released key facts and figures on Filipinos living within the U.S. With a total U.S. Filipino population of 2.66 million, the amount of Filipinos living in poverty comes to 7.1 percent. According to the United States Census Bureau, poverty in […]
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Dual citizenship applicants will have a mass oath-taking on Oct. 8
“To me, the issue is not about choosing one country over another or having a piece of paper defining who I am. It is about (not) taking our opportunities for granted.” With that, Rachelle Ocampo, project director at NYU Langone Medical Center, took the plunge, applied for dual citizenship and is now the holder of […]
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Municipal IDs seen to benefit all New Yorkers not just undocumented immigrants
By Cristina Dc Pastor Certain things will change when one enters a New York City building beginning 2015. Instead of showing the building security a driver’s license or a passport, a New York resident can show a municipal identity card. The ID card will be available in January to all New York residents not limited […]
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‘Surreal, scary,’ says Jose Antonio Vargas on being arrested by border patrol
By Cristina DC Pastor Several dozen Filipinos braved the July 15 downpour to gather at Union Square and voice their support for detained undocumented journalist Jose Antonio Vargas. The activist and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist was released on the same day by U.S. Border Patrol agents who held him at the McAllen-Miller International Airport in Texas […]
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I hope this country will finally call Jose Antonio Vargas what he is: an American
By Laurel Fantauzzo On July 15, the storyteller Jose Antonio Vargas was detained at the McAllen, Texas airport for not having a valid entry visa in his Philippine passport for the United States. Last year, Jose visited my nonfiction writing class at the University of Iowa to talk about his journey to a Pulitzer Prize. […]
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Women’s center offers to pay filing fees for DACA eligibles; Filipinos report high approval rates
By Cristina DC Pastor Disheartened by the low rate of applications, officials and advocates are urging undocumented youth to apply for the federal program Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. They said an $18 million grant from the city will bankroll resources for legal assistance including payment of the $465 filing fee. Of about half a […]