Filipinos make up a large percentage of the healthcare workforce, which includes undocumented people
In the US healthcare system, Filipinos make up a large percentage of the workforce – 4% of registered nurses are of Filipino descent, which is more than double the Filipino American population, according to National Nurses United.
The large number of Filipinos in healthcare work includes undocumented people, who fill workforce gaps and care for ailing people. Approximately 2% of undocumented immigrants in the US are from the Philippines, according to data from the Migration Policy Institute.
Amid heightened levels of immigration arrests, many Filipino healthcare workers say they are providing essential care while in the grips of anxiety over their own safety.
Don’t feel bad for Filipinos. They voted Duterte in the Philippines. Enough said.
Person I’ve never met living halfway around the world who happens to share a great-great-grandparent with me: “I’m going to vote for a bad political candidate!” Me: “I guess I don’t deserve basic safety and security anymore.”