Immigration and Customs Enforcement also known as ICE sent a chilling message to the Filipino community last week when yet another Filipino household was raided early in the morning.

Last week’s visit was certainly not the first time ICE officers sent a cold breeze to the New York-New Jersey Filipinos. ICE officers also raided a Filipino household in Elmhurst, N.Y. in October 2006. Filipinos were also involved in various reports of ICE raids in factories and restaurants in New Jersey.

A few years ago another Filipino family in San Francisco, California, made headlines when they were also raided and was eventually deported. Shortly after 9/11, another family from Kentucky was arrested and deported along with hundreds more Filipinos aboard a charter plane.

These cases seem nothing but a handful. But the reality is that such ICE raids, arrests, detentions and deportations are a common occurrence within the Filipino community. There are many stories about Filipino families and individuals being sought by ICE officers, some have been deported and many are languishing in ICE detentions across the country.

For a minute, many Filipinos always believe that our community is immune from such attacks such as those constantly happening to the Arab, South Asian and Mexican communities. So seldom we see such ICE raids on the news. But that is precisely because people are afraid to speak up.

Worse, many Filipinos, especially those who have no immigration issues, are in denial that ICE raids are a serious concern within the Filipino community. But reality is indeed hard to swallow. And that reality is [that] the Filipinos are among the top undocumented populations in the United States. And with that fact, our community will also remain on the list of communities that ICE will constantly keep an eye on. There will be more ICE raids on Filipinos.

Who among Filipinos here do not know anyone personally who is undocumented? Or at least in the “process” of getting their papers resolved? Perhaps only a few. But it doesn’t matter if we do or we don’t. It matters that our fellow Filipinos, who are struggling in the United States and are working just as hard as any other Filipinos and immigrants, are under attack.

It may be easy to dismiss that it’s their fault they allowed themselves to become undocumented. But we also must realize that if they had a choice, like most of us, [they] would not risk coming to the United States. If only the Philippine economy is as bright and as promising as was painted during the last State of the Nation address of Mrs. Arroyo, Filipinos would not leave at an alarming rate of 3,400 a day.

Being a Filipino American with a green card or blue passport does not give us the license to ignore our fellow Filipinos. Such privilege does not allow for us to be dismissive of our fellow Filipinos. Most of all, it is not a crime to be concerned about the rights and welfare of fellow Filipinos regardless of their immigration status.

If we can give alms to the poor and the homeless, we can also lend an ear and open our hearts to our kababayans [fellow Filipinos] right here in our very own neighborhoods.