Nancy entered the US with a tourist visa five years ago. She tried to apply for a working visa but the petition was denied. Instead of returning to the Philippines, Nancy joined the millions of undocumented aliens in the US and started working without authorization. She worked as a caregiver and sometimes as baby sitter.
When she went to the US, Nancy left behind in Manila her 5 and 6 years old sons. Her spouse abandoned her and the children were left under the care of their grandmother. Recently, I received a frantic call from Nancy. She was calling from a federal prison and was asking me for assistance. She now wants to be deported back to the Philippines and just be with her children.
I discovered after talking to Nancy that she was taken into custody by federal authorities for falsification of business documents and grand larceny. She apparently robbed her employer. She issued checks in the employer’s name and she is now being tried in court for an aggravated felony. Nancy explained that she needed money to send to her children and to pay for her mother’s hospitalization bills. She regrets violating the law but it is too late to escape her actions without consequences. She now faces a 3 to 6 years term in prison. Nancy said that she found it difficult to find multiple jobs and that with her meager earnings from her single job, her monthly remittance to her children were not enough. Whatever reason she may have does not justify her committing a crime. Unfortunately for her, she will be deported from the US only after she has served her prison sentence.
Crime and Recession
One of the unfortunate consequences of the economic downturn is the corresponding increase in crime rates. This is based on published sociological researches. Immigrants, more so than native-born citizens, are suffering from the economic hardships of the recession. With an immigrant’s daily grind of trying to survive in a foreign country, it is not at all unusual that some may take the easy way out and head towards the wrong direction in finding solutions to their problems.
Statistics show that there is a jump in property crimes when unemployment and poverty rates increase. Common property crimes include larceny, burglary and motor vehicles theft. I know of a Filipina caregiver who parked her car outside the home of her employer only to discover later on that her car was stolen. She reported the matter to the authorities. This rarely happened before but it is becoming common in some cities. Quite interestingly, there is also a rise in unlawful repossession of motor vehicles by creditors where the latter mistakenly takes back vehicles for a mere few days of delayed payments. Hence, the loss of vehicles may not just be because of theft but also because of unlawful repossessions by creditors.
A serious effect of recession is murder within family. While there are no known Filipino families engaged in mass murders as a result of their unacceptable fate, other minorities have became victims of such. There is a highly publicized story of a black man in Los Angeles CA who shot and killed his wife, five children and himself. This was after the man and his wife both lost their jobs. The same fate happened to an Indian man from California who became distraught with his financial losses and shot his wife, three sons, mother-in-law and then himself.
Facing Realities
It is not all rose and honey for Filipinos who are able to migrate to other countries. The same with our kababayans in the Philippines, Filipino migrants to other countries are also subject to the economic effects of this worldwide recession. Many Filipino immigrants to other countries suffer double the pressure as they not only need to survive themselves in a foreign country, but also need to earn enough to send financial support to family or relatives back in the Philippines. When hard times hit, many Filipino migrants in other countries do not have the luxury of having an extended family that they can lean on for help and support. Many are on their own. There is no other choice but to continue to work in order to survive. However, when work is no longer available, some may have no option but to do whatever needs to be done in order to survive. That option may lead to crime.
Worthwhile Decision to Return
A great majority of the more than four million Filipinos in America are successful immigrants. We are the second largest growing minority population in the US. The economic crisis, however, has made a number of Filipino immigrants consider reverse migration back to the homeland as a viable option.
For immigrants, it is understandable that there may be great pressure to stay abroad in order to continue financially supporting family or relatives here in the Philippines. The consequences may not always be worth it. Sometimes, as in the case of Nancy, it may just be more worthwhile to come home and be with family here in the Philippines rather than commit a crime abroad; and, not only suffer incarceration but also suffer the consequences of separation from loved ones here in the Philippines.
(Tancinco may reached at law@tancinco.com or at 887 7177)
