PAFC joins effort to BRING BACK the Filipino World War II Veterans Parole Program

Earlier this month, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced its plan to terminate the 2016 Filipino World War II Veterans Parole Program, which allowed USCIS to consider individual requests for parole for certain relatives of Filipino WWII Veterans who are beneficiaries of approved family-based immigrant visa petitions.

As PAFC, we have fought tirelessly for the recognition of our Filipino World War II Veterans for their service and their reunification with their families. And as an organization dedicated to serving the Filipino American community in the Washington D.C area, we have joined National Federation for Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) in urging the administration to BRING BACK the Filipino World War II Veterans Parole Program.

Leaders from PAFC issue the following statements regarding the end of the Filipino World War II Veterans Parole Program:

Jon Melegrito, PAFC Advisor & Executive Secretary of Filipino Veterans Recognition & Education Project

"Allowing our aging and ailing veterans to be with their loved ones in the few years they have left is an act of human compassion that the US government should not begrudge from those who risked their lives fighting for American democracy and freedom. America failed to recognize their service and sacrifice for more than 70 years. They don't deserve to suffer more pain in the twilight of their years."

Sonny Busa, PAFC Board Member

"The proposed repeal of the FilVets Parole Program is a another slap in the face of deserving Filipino veterans who have suffered and sacrificed much for the United States. The repeal is mean spirited because its actual effect is minimal with respect to real numbers of beneficiaries.  But its symbolic impact is crushing: basically immigrants aren't welcome!"

NaFFAA is spearheading the effort to call for the reversal of this termination. As organizations and individuals, we hope you can join this effort by signing on to the following letter: http://bit.ly/filvetrepback