Philippines President To Meet Trump To Discuss Immigration Policy

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Thursday he would meet U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss issues including immigration, in an effort to influence policy he said could impact a large number of Filipinos in the United States.

“We will see how we can influence policymaking in terms of immigration,” Marcos said without saying when the meeting would take place.

Since taking office on Jan. 20, Trump has announced a number of immigration-related executive orders that focus on stricter border policy, tighter visa vetting procedures, and a crackdown on undocumented migrants in the United States.

There are more than 300,000 undocumented Filipinos in the U.S., according to a 2019 estimate by think tank Migration Policy Institute. Close to 2 million migrants from the Philippines live in the United States, according to a 2024 report by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Speaking to reporters on various topics, Marcos also said he would return a Typhon missile system to the United States if China ceased what he said was aggressive and coercive behaviour and its claiming of territory in the South China Sea.

Tensions between China and the Philippines have escalated in recent years and the Philippines has moved closer to Washington, which is also keen to counter China’s increasingly assertive claims in the disputed waterway.

“I don’t understand the comments on the Typhon missile system. We don’t make any comments on their missile systems and their missile systems are a thousand times more powerful than what we have,” Marcos said.

“Let’s make a deal with China: stop claiming our territory, stop harassing our fishermen and let them have a living, stop ramming our boats, stop water cannoning our people, stop firing lasers at us and stop your aggressive and coercive behaviour and I’ll return the Typhon missiles,” he said.

Beijing, which claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, has repeatedly accused Philippine vessels of encroachment in to its territory. Bilateral ties are at their worst in years after repeated confrontations and heated diplomatic rows.

The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the president’s remarks.

The Typhon missile system was deployed by U.S. forces to the Philippines in April last year as part of their Balikatan or “shoulder-to-shoulder” military exercises, and has since remained in the country.

Reuters/Ejiofor Ezeifeoma