Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-USA condemned the Trump regime’s latest move to expel migrants, including Filipinos, and deport them to Libya. Libya’s detention centers are notorious for cases of killings, abuse, torture, forced labor, and starvation.

On May 7, the court temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s plan to deport Asian migrants to Libya after their lawyers filed an appeal. The migrants came from Laos, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

US district judge Brian Murphy said the deportation plan would violate his own order that migrants being sent to a country other than their origin must first be given a real opportunity to challenge their removal. He added that a prior court order was already in effect prohibiting officials from immediately expelling migrants to countries other than their origins. According to the court, this should be done especially in cases where it has not been determined if the deportees would face persecution or torture in the destination country.

Meanwhile, the Libyan government said it has no agreement with the Trump administration to accept migrants expelled from the US.

“Even as the attempted deportation to Libya has been blocked, we must remain vigilant against the administration’s drive to continue its onslaught on migrants while degrading their dignity and stripping them of their humanity,” said BAYAN USA.

“We call on the Marcos administration to address the conditions of poverty and joblessness in the Philippines that compel Filipinos to go abroad, only to become targets of Trump’s attacks on migrants.”

“In particular, we challenge Jose Romualdez to uphold his duty to protect the well being of Filipinos in the US. Immediately verify the status of all Filipinos at risk of deportation and ensure they are provided legal assistance.”

“Rather than spewing more lies about what Philippine consular officials are doing to support Filipinos in detention and at risk of deportation, we demand that Romualdez demonstrate he has a backbone and outrightly condemn Trump’s attacks on the Filipino people, lest he reveal that he would rather cozy up to the fascist U.S. president so he can advance the greedy interests of himself, his cousin Bongbong Marcos, and their family,” Bayan-USA added.